Leviticus - Handbook of the Priests

Kenneth B. Alexander

Description

Introduction to Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus describes the methods whereby an Israelite maintained his/her Covenant relationship with God. Maintaining this Covenant relationship involved animal or other sacrifice, dietary laws, laws governing relationships and generally obedience to the Holiness regulations laid down by God through Moses. The Book is also a Handbook for priests governing how they administer sacrifices, how they dress and otherwise perform their duties. The purpose of the animal and other sacrifices was for the forgiveness of sin, thanksgiving or worship. With the sin forgiven, one became clean and acceptable to God whereas if the sin remained it was disruptive of the close relationship required by God. In the animal sacrifice it was the blood of the slain animal that accomplished the removal of sin. As the writer of Hebrews said: "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). This same principal carried through to the sacrifice of Christ the Lamb of God where we are cleansed and atoned for by His blood shed on the cross. "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh," (Hebrews 10:19-20).

The sacrifices made by the people were more than a meaningless ritual. When a sacrifice was made there was to be a literal transference of the sin from the person to the sacrificial animal (called the "victim"); the sin was atoned for or removed in this same way. This principle of transference was the method used by the Father to literally transfer the sin of the world onto Christ at His death. Likewise a literal transference took place when the sin of a person was transferred to the animal or sacrifice and accomplished fully by the animal's shed blood.

The sacrifices for sin under the Levitical Law were ultimately ineffective in that the forgiveness obtained was only temporary and had to be repeated again and again upon each subsequent violation. Christ, as the Lamb without blemish, accomplished a perfect forgiveness and atonement for sin for all eternity. The Law of Moses, as administered by the Levite priests, became out teacher to lead us to Christ. "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Without the Law predating Christ we would not have known our need for Christ. The Law established once and for all our absolute inability to ever please God in our flesh. "Now if He [Jesus] were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy [type] and shadow of the heavenly things," (Hebrews 8:4-5). So the treatment of sin according to the Law, as in Leviticus, is a type and shadow, an outline, of the complete salvation and atonement accomplished by Christ.

Sujets

• Biblical Commentary
• Philosophie et théologie
• Old Testament
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 26 avril 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456617615
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Book of L eviticus 
Handbook of the Priests
 
 
             
 

High P riest P erforming H is D uties
 
By: Kenneth B. Alexander  J.D.
Bo o k Three – Bible Book By Book Series
Table of Contents
 
Title Page – The Book of Leviticus – The Handbook of the Priests
              By: Kenneth B. Alexander, J.D.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction to Series - Bible Book By Book
Introduction to Leviticus
Basic Sacrifices
Duties of the Priests
Consecration of the Priests
Strange Fire
Laws of Purification
Atonement
The Law of Holiness
Conclusion to Leviticus
Bibliography and End Notes
 
 
Preface
 
 
Thanks to John Robert Stevens, Pastor and My Mentor, deceased; Pastors Gary and Marilyn Hargrave; The Living Word, a World Wide Fellowship of Churches (thelivingword.org); Logos Bible Study System 5; Fellow Believers
 
 
 
 
 
© Author: Kenneth B. Alexander, JD
[e-mail]
Web: www.christianfreelance. vpweb.com
Scripture references: The New American Standard, 95 ed; The New American Standard,              
              1 97 7 ed.; King James Authorized Version; Unless Otherwise Noted
“ Scripture References In Italics ” and “quotation marks”
Bold Emphasis Author’s Discretion
CAPS USED FROM   BIBLE SCRIPTURES or PER AUTHOR’S DISCRETION
Man or Men when used alone is gender negative and is meant to include: men, women, mankind, humanity etc.
 
 
 
Introduction to Series
Bible Book By Book
 
             
              This Series of Books will treat the scriptures and the Bible as the full and complete Word of God compiled by God through the pens of men inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says this about itself : “ All Scripture is  inspired [God breathed] by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for  training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work ” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) . God left for us a record of all that is needed to be known to enable His people full access to His salvation and entrance to His glorious Kingdom. Each scripture, group of scriptures, each Book as a whole has a point; it is saying something from God that we can take away with us just as if God Himself descended and spoke to us in person. It speaks both to the beginner in Christ and to the most mature. Its meaning is ever expanding according to the spiritual growth of the individual.
 
 
              Christ Himself quoted scripture on many occasions. In his very first public appearance He spoke scripture. “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR . HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,   AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND ,  TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD” (Lk 4:18–19). He quoted Old Testament scripture written down by Isaiah from the Book of Isaiah 61:1-2. Christ went on to say: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Amazingly enough Isaiah spoke this scripture a millennium before Christ and a millennium before Christ fulfilled the words. Many, many times you will read in the scriptures of Christ fulfilling a prophecy that was spoken millenniums before His birth.
 
 
The authenticity of the Bible is the subject of great dispute among men, mainly Biblical scholars and scientists. Many see the Bible as a book of myths or moralistic stories. Many hold that the named authors of the Books of the Bible were not their true authors. Others notice inconsistencies in the Bible and criticize the text of those grounds (for a full history of the Bible with criticisms see The Bible and history - From Wikipedia ).
 
 
The scriptures, Old Testament and New, speak exclusively of Christ. He said to the Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is   these that testify about Me; (John 5:39). They had been deceived into thinking that life , peace and happiness could be found by following rigid rules and traditions , such as rituals of washings and Sabbath day rests. They studied the Torah endlessly trying to find its secrets when the real secret was its revealing of the Messiah to come. The purpose of the Scriptures was to point mankind to Christ wherein dwells life, but they were not willing to com e to Jesus so that they might have this life. The direct topological references to Christ in the Old Testament are much too many to enumerate here (see “References to Christ In the Old Testament Scriptures” by this author at lulu.com). 
 
 
 
The first thing to learn about the Bible is that it is incapable of human mental interpretation. It is unique in that respect out of all books written . John 1:1 makes that clear: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” .  The Word is just not a collection of literary works; it is and conveys the Spirit of God - it IS God.
 
 
 
The Word of God is recorded in the Bible. The operative Greek word is “Logos ” meaning “The Word”. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words partially defines Logos as: “…the phrase “The word of God” i.e. the revealed Word of God is used as a direct revelation of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15) of the gospel…(citations)… in this respect it is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power…The personal word is a title of the Son of God…His distinct super-finite personality…His relation to the Godhead, His creative power… (Vine’s Page 1241-1242).
 
 
 
 
So the Word is God Himself as revealed by the Word (Jesus Christ) appearing on the earth. Human interpretation or mental understanding is not God; the Bible can only be understood spiritually by revelation from God. John 4:23-24 says that God is a Spirit and we can only know Him or relate to Him in the spirit. The Word is literally God’s power and authority going out from Him and “made effective” through the Word. Christ is the Word, God made manifest. All things were created in and through Him. God created the heavens and the earth through a creative Word (Genesis 1:3 -“let there be”). [i]
 
 
 
In Christianity, and in fact in any search for the truth, one must look to the Word of God to gain an understanding of the truth. You must seek it and find it but God promises that “if we seek and keep on seeking” you will find”. One thing we learn quickly is that truth is not special knowledge , wisdom or concepts separate from God. Truth is not a thing or a state of being—it is a person-Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John he quotes Jesus as saying: “ I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (v. 14:6). In order to understand truth, we must keep this “definition” in mind. Nowhere else in the Bible is “truth” defined. It is not a moral concept; it is not doing good so you can “go to heaven; it is not a philosophy; it is not a set of church doctrines and it’s not found in your conscience. It is found in Jesus Christ, in His nature, His body and His blood. [ii]
 
 
The Bible is Divine revelation from the Father. In Matthew 16:13-19 Jesus asked His disciples “Who do you say I am?” (v.15). Simon Peter, the boldest of the disciples, spoke up and said “You are Christ [Messiah] the Son of the living God ” (v.16). Jesus said to Peter: “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona [son of Jonah; a man] : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven ” . Christ was saying that Peter the man was blessed because man, flesh and blood, had not revealed this to him but God the Father .
 
 
 
 
The word “ reveal” is “Apokalupto” in Greek meaning: “ to remove a veil or covering, exposing to open view what was before hidden” (see also Apokalupsis meaning “ revelation ” , one of three words in the NT referring to the second coming of Christ). Therefore Peter, a man of flesh, had spoken what was formerly concealed, exposing it to open view. He revealed what was in essence the coming of the Lord Jesus. This “revelation” did not come from man but was revealed by the Father in Heaven (from the spiritual realm).
 
 
 
Christ said further: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a stone], and upon this rock [large rock, bedrock] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. (Verse 17). The word “ Peter” is in Greek “ Petros ”, a small stone . The rock referred to in the scripture (“upon this rock”) is Petra in Greek which means a large rock or bedrock. What was this bedrock? The BEDROCK is the REVELATION from the Father to human flesh ( Petros the stone). T hus it was the revelation of Christ coming from the Father that would be the bedrock upon which Christ would build His church . God planned to build His church on the bedrock of divine revelation . Likewise the Bible is the source of this bedrock of revelation upon which we can build a walk with God.
 
 
 
The content of the Bible is not mere words but Spirit. Jesus said: “ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing ; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life (John 6:63). Books written by men may convey ideas, inspiration or emotion but the words in the Bible convey spirit. Not just spirit but the Spirit of the Lord whereby we change into His image from glory to glory. “But we all, with unveiled face,  beholding as in a mirror the  glory of the Lord, are being  transformed into the same image from glory to glor