2. For most Christians, Leviticus is one of the most unread books in the Bible. Yet for centuries, Jewish children started learning this book first.

3. Importance of Leviticus No book of the bible contains more of the direct words of God than Leviticus. Leviticus is quoted about 40 different times in the New Testament. A proper understanding of the book of Hebrews is impossible without an understanding of Leviticus. The foundation of the Christian doctrine of atonement (the idea of transferring our guilt and sin to Christ) is found in Leviticus.

4. Leviticus receives its name from the Septuagint and means “ relating to the Levites. ” The Levites were the priests who were chosen of God to minister to the nation. The book of Leviticus contains many of the laws given by God to direct them in their work as priests for the worship of God.

5. Christ as Seen in Leviticus: (1) The Five Offerings all typify the person and work of Christ in His sinless life, submission to the Father that we might have fellowship with God. (2) The High Priest is a very prominent type of Christ in Leviticus. (3) The Seven Feasts are prophetic of the Savior.

6. Leviticus falls into two basic divisions: Sacrifice (public worship) and Sanctification (private worship) I. Holy sacrifices to a Holy God (1-16) A. The Laws of Sacrifice for Approach to God (1-7) B. The Laws of Consecration of the Priests (8-10) C. The Laws of Purity (11-15) D. The Laws of National Atonement (16) II. Holy Living before a Holy God (17-27) A. The Laws of Sanctification for God ’ s People (17-20) B. The Laws of Sanctification for God ’ s Priests (21-22) C. The Laws of Sanctification in Worship (23-24) D. The Laws of Sanctification in the Land of Canaan (25-26) E. The Laws of Sanctification and Vows (27)

7. Purpose The book of Exodus concludes in Exodus 40 with the glory of God filling the Tabernacle. The book of Leviticus begins by God calling to Moses from the Tabernacle. The book of Leviticus defines for this redeemed people how to maintain proper fellowship with their glorious God who now dwells among them.

8. The theme of the book is the holiness of God and His expectations for holiness amongst His people. Holiness is to be separate or sacred; to be set apart for specific purpose. Holiness is conformity of our heart and life to the purity of God’s moral and worship standards. Leviticus 11:45 says, “ Be holy, because I am holy. ” The directives given in the book of Leviticus showed Israel was to walk before God as a holy people.

9. Thus, Leviticus answers the important foundational religious question, “How can an unholy people approach a holy God?” Leviticus shows a redeemed Israel that the only way to God is by sacrifice and the walk with God by separation. All the sacrifices in this book point to the “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

10. Leviticus also intends to show how Israel was to fulfill its covenant responsibility to be 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation' (Ex 19:6; Lev 26:5).” This can be understood in two dimensions: First, God desires Israel to be set apart from the other nations. They should believe, act, and look differently than Egypt and Canaan.

11. Secondly, God has called Israel to be set apart for a specific purpose. God has called Israel apart to be a kingdom of priests. A priest is an intermediary between God and others. Israel is to be a kingdom which has been set apart to be an intermediary between God and the rest of the world. It was through the nation Israel that God desired to reach the world through his people, and thus fulfill the Abrahamic covenant, which says, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

12. The themes of Leviticus find their fulfillment in the New Testament All Christians are holy, 'saints' in most English translations. That is, they have been called by God to be his people just as ancient Israel had been (Col. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2:9-10; cf. Exod. 19:5-6). But this state of holiness must find expression in holy living (Col. 1:22; 1 Pet. 1:15). Sanctification is expressed through obedience to the standard of teaching (Rom. 6:17-19), just as in Leviticus through obedience to the law. Peter urges his readers to make the motto of Leviticus their own: 'Be holy, for I am holy' (1 Pet. 1:16). The imitation of God is a theme that unites the ethics of Old and New Testaments (cf. Matt. 5:48; 1 Cor. 11:1).

13. PART 1: HOLY SACRIFICES TO A HOLY GOD

14. “And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying…” (Leviticus 1:1) The story of Leviticus picks up where Exodus left off. Israel is still camped out at the base of Mount Sinai, and they will remain there all through the Book of Leviticus.

15. “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.” (Leviticus 1:2) The sacrificial system was an essential element of the Mosaic covenant, because it was impossible to live up to the requirements of the law. Sin was dealt with through sacrifice. This was not the beginning of God’s sacrificial system. Adam knew of sacrifice (Genesis 3:21), as did Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:3-4), and Noah (Genesis 8:20-21).

16. Israel's initial relationship with God as His redeemed people had been established through the Passover sacrifice on the night of their deliverance from Egypt. The offerings presented at the Tabernacle were the means of maintaining that relationship between the Israelites and their God

17. Peace with God was the goal of all the sacrifices. The first three offerings presented in Leviticus were offerings of worship that were made in communion and to celebrate communion with the Lord. “Of a sweet savor unto the LORD.” (ref Lev 1:9) Each of these offerings reveals what is essential for or what results from a relationship between a redeemed sinner and a holy God In the revelation of the first three offerings, God described the most valuable sacrifice first and then the less valuable.

18. Burnt Offering The burnt offering (in Greek, holokautoma, from which we get the word "holocaust“) was for atonement by expressing the offerer's complete consecration to Yahweh (cf. Matt. 22:37; Rom. 12:1-2) and provided a way for God's complete acceptance of the worshiper. The burnt offering was more about total surrender to God than about sin. The priests offered a burnt offering every morning and every evening, and more frequently on holy days.

19. The idea behind the Hebrew word for atonement (ka ̂ phar) is to cover. The idea is that an individual's sin is covered over by the blood of the sacrificial victim. The word ka ̂ phar is used almost fifty times in Leviticus But there is a difference between the Old Testament idea of atonement and the New Testament idea. In the Old Testament, sin is “covered over” until redemption was completed by Jesus on the cross. In the New Testament, sin is done away with - and a true “at-one-ment” was accomplished by Jesus’ sacrifice.

20. The animal must not have any obvious defect. God would not accept a defective sacrifice. Israel did not always live up to this standard, and much later the Prophet Malachi rebuked Israel for offering God sub-standard sacrifices: “And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.” (Mal 1:8) Jesus fulfilled this standard perfectly, being a sinless and pure sacrifice without blemish (John 8:29, 8:46, 14:30, and 15:10).

21. “And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” (Lev 1:4) It was not enough that the victim merely died. The one receiving atonement had to actively identify himself with the sacrifice. In the same way, it is not enough to know that Jesus died for the sins of the world. The one who would receive His atonement must “reach out” and identify himself with Jesus.

22. Grain (Meal, Meat) [firstfruits] offering The grain offering was typically fine flour, mixed with a bit of oil and frankincense. A portion of the flour was burnt before the LORD on the altar. The remainder was given to the priests for their own use in making bread for the priest and his family In the King James Version, the "meat offering" is from the Old English use of the word meat as meaning food. A meal offering always followed the official daily burnt offering (cf. Num. 28), and it often accompanied a peace offering (cf. Num. 15:3-5; 2 Kings 16:33).

23. It symbolized the sacrifice and commitment of one's person and works to God as well as the worshiper's willingness to keep the law The offering itself was the fruit of human labor. Man cultivates the ground to provide for the needs of man—his own needs and the needs of other people. The grain or flour from which the "staff of life" comes symbolized what God enabled man to produce. The meal offering appears to have been acceptable only when offered with the burnt offering. This indicated that one's works were acceptable to God only when they accompanied the offerer's consecration of himself to God.

24. No matter what its form, the grain offering had to be prepared at home. The addition of leaven or honey was prohibited. Leaven symbolized sin, and honey was a favorite appeasement tool offered in almost all pagan nations in their sacrifices. Each grain offering must include salt. Salt was very valuable in the ancient world. One of Its most important roles was as a preservative. This function was symbolically associated with the concepts of perseverance and endurance “neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering:” (Lev 2:13) The idea of the covenant of salt is repeated in Numbers 18:19 and 2 Chronicles 13:5.

25. Peace Offering It represented the fellowship between God and man that resulted from the relationship that God had established with the redeemed individual. Peace and fellowship resulted from redemption, and this act of worship highlighted those blessings from God. This was not an offering to make peace with God (this was the purpose of the sin offering of chapter four), but an offering to enjoy the peace of God. Jesus is our source of peace. (Eph 2:14; John 14:27)

26. This was an optional sacrifice; an Israelite could bring it if and when he felt like it. Thus it was not one of the offerings that the priests presented daily in the tabernacle, though God ordered its presentation at the feast of Pentecost (a.k.a. Harvest, Weeks; 23:19).

27. In contrast to the burnt offering, a peace offering sacrifice could be either a male or female animal. However, the animal still had to be without blemish. The greatest peace offering ever made happened when Solomon dedicated the temple, offering 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep (1 Kings 8:63).

28. All the participants fed together on this sacrifice: the offerer, the priest, and God (symbolically). Eating together symbolized fellowship. All the fat of the peace offering was to be consumed upon the altar: “all the fat is the LORD's.” (Lev 3:16) In the Scriptures, fat is used as a symbol of the richness of life. Thus this symbolizes that all richness belongs to Him, and comes only from Him.

29. Sin (Purification) offering The purpose of the sin offering was, “If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:” (Lev 4:2) There were two types of occasions that called for the sin offering: unwitting or inadvertent sins (ch. 4) and sins of omission (5:1-13). Primarily, this sacrifice covered sins that sprang from the weakness of the flesh (cf. Num. 15:27-29) It served for cleansing and purification. Jesus fulfills that role today: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

30. The contrast to an unintentional sin is to sin presumptuously (Numbers 15:30). Literally, this was “to sin with a high hand.” In other words, in haughty, defiant rebellion against God. There was no atonement available for the one whose heart was so defiantly turned against the LORD in presumptuous sin. If your heart wasn’t turned towards the LORD, then all the animals in the world sacrificed on your behalf did you no good. Such a sinner was "cut off from among his people" (Num. 15:30-31). Very similar to the idea in 2 Thess 3:6, “that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly,”

31. Trespass (guilt) offering “If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD”; (Lev 5:15) The guilt offering was essentially the same procedure used in the sin offering, except that the guilt offering was used when someone had sinned in regard to the holy things. This included of some type of desecration of the tabernacle or its associated items.

32. When holy things had been desecrated in some way, a mere sin offering was not enough. Restitution was also required, paying back what was lost plus twenty percent: “and shall add the fifth part thereto” (Lev 5:16) Reparation is evidence of true repentance (cf. Matt. 3:8; 5:23-24; Luke 19:8-9).

33. Christians do not need to try to compensate God for our offenses against Him since He has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as full payment for our debts (cf. 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13). Nevertheless we have a responsibility to recompense others against whom we trespass (cf. Matt. 5:23-24; 6:12).

34. The five basic sacrifices are introduced twice: 1) In the main section addressed to the people [1:1—6:7] 2) In the supplementary section addressed to the priests [6:8—7:38]

35. The main lesson to be learned is that Jesus has fulfilled every sacrifice for us: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb 10:10- 12)

36. JESUS FULFILLED THE BURNT OFFERING “…and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.” (Eph 5:2) JESUS FULFILLED THE GRAIN AND FIRSTFRUITS OFFERING “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor 15:20)

37. JESUS FULFILLED THE PEACE OFFERING “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1) JESUS FULFILLED THE SIN OFFERING “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21)

38. JESUS FULFILLED THE GUILT OFFERING “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Rom 4:25)

39. Remember, in this book, God establishes specific laws for His people that would set them apart as a kingdom of priests with whom God dwells. If the entire nation is to be a holy priesthood, then the priests of this nation are called to an even greater level of holiness. So, Leviticus sets out even more stringent requirements for the Levite priests. In Chapters 6-10 and 21-22, God lays out laws of purity for the priests, such as avoiding all dead bodies, limitations on marriage, prohibition on “imperfect” priests, and stringent requirements for the family of priests. To emphasize the seriousness of these stipulations, when they failed this, often they were killed, as were Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu (10:1-3)

40. Chapter 11 deals with laws regarding eating animals of land, sea, and air [which are “clean” and “unclean”] Chapter 12 deals with cleansing after childbirth Chapters 13 and 14 deal with the subject of leprosy. The term not only includes a number of skin diseases, but even types of mold and fungi appearing on garments and in houses. The 15th chapter of Leviticus relates to sexual pollutions associated with various secretions and issues.

41. Chapter 16 describes the regulations for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and details the provision God has made for dealing with all sin in His people, whether known or unknown. It was the one day of the year when the high priest would actually enter the holy of holies, dressed not in his garments of beauty and glory but in simple white linen undergarments, which spoke of humility and weakness. It was and remains the only day of commanded fasting on the Jewish calendar. Modern Jews still regard Yom Kippur as an important day of fasting, soul searching, and righting wrongs - yet they offer no sacrifice for sin.

42. There he offered incense for himself, the blood of a bull for his priestly household and finally, the blood of a goat as a sin offering for the people. The blood of this sin offering had to be sprinkled on the mercy seat, which was the lid to the ark of the covenant

43. According to Jewish tradition, it was on the Day of Atonement that the high priest - and only the high priest - could pronounce the name of God, the sacred Tetragrammaton YHWH. When he entered the Holy Place with the blood of the goat set apart to the LORD, he would utter the name. He was the only one, and that was the only time, when the name could be uttered, and the high priest was to pass on the exact pronunciation of the name of God to his successor with his dying breath.

44. Upon the head of a second living goat, known as the “scapegoat” all the sins of the people were confessed and symbolically placed, and the goat was led away into the wilderness. This was a perfect demonstration of atonement under the Old Covenant, before the completed work of Jesus on the cross. Sin could be put away, but never really eliminated. The sin- bearing goat, bearing the sin of Israel, was alive somewhere but put away.

45. Every year, year after year, this atonement had to be made, showing it was never completed. In contrast, Jesus provided a finished work: “ For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Heb 9:24-28)

46. PART 2: HOLY LIVING BEFORE A HOLY GOD

47. Scholars often refer to chapters 17—26 as the Holiness Code. Leviticus 17—26 has been called the Holiness Code because of the frequency of the occurrence of the phrase, attributed to Yahweh: 'You shall be holy because I am holy.’ One other phrase is characteristic of these chapters: 'I am Yahweh' (sometimes 'I am Yahweh your God').”

48. Chapter 17 deals with the sanctity of blood Many are offended by the amount of blood involved in the Old Testament sacrifices, but by this means God is telling us that the basis for holiness is a life given up, that we can never be holy on the basis of our natural life. The Israelites were forbidden to eat blood but must remember that it is the symbol of life and the constant reminder of the need for atonement.

49. Chapter 18 deals with laws of sexual morality The New Testament writers restated the laws on incest (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-5), adultery (cf. Rom. 13:9), idolatry (cf 1 Cor. 10:7-11; Rev. 2:14), and homosexuality (cf. Rom. 1:27; 1 Cor. 6:9). They are binding on us who live under the New Covenant.

50. God’s summation of all deviant sexual practices: “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) That the land spew not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spewed out the nations that were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God. “(Lev 18:24- 30)

51. Chapter 19 is a section of general ethical prescriptions and has been called the highest development of ethics in the Old Testament. This chapter contains quotations from or allusions to all ten of the Ten Commandments In essence this chapter clearly teaches that God's people must conform to his holiness by keeping his commandments (the letter of the law), by dealing with others in love (the spirit of the law), by living according to the standards of separation in the world, and by demonstrating kindness and justice to others

52. Chapter 20 deals with punishments of severe (in the sight of God) crimes To enforce the standards for purity, Leviticus gives certain prescribed punishment. The death penalty is required for child sacrifice, consulting with spirits, cursing parents, for adultery and homosexuality, and for intercourse with animals. We must understand that in Christ, though these penalties are mitigated, and opportunity is given for repentance and forgiveness, nevertheless the deeds are as wrong today as they were in Old Testament times.

53. All the people were to maintain holiness before God, but the priests had higher standards because of their privileges in relationship to God. Moses explained these higher regulations in chapters 21-22. The priest must avoid all personal defilement, especially keeping himself from all contact with the dead. In his marriage he must not impair his ministry, nor could he serve if he had physical defects in his own body.

54. Chapter 23 introduces the seven annual feasts, which are rich with symbolic and prophetic significance.

55. The Passover 23:4-5 The first of the prescribed feasts was the Passover, occurring in the spring of the year, on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan). Passover was meant to commemorate Israel's deliverance from Egypt, and with the sacrifice of the lamb for each family, show how the blood of the lamb averted the judgment of God for each Israelite family. The feast of Passover clearly presents Jesus as our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7), the Lamb of God who was sacrificed, and whose blood was received and applied, so the wrath of God would pass us over.

56. Feast of Unleavened Bread 23:6-8 The day after the Passover marked the beginning of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv. 6-14; cf. Num. 28:16- 25). This was one of the three feasts that all the adult males in Israel had to attend along with the feasts of Firstfruits and Tabernacles (Exod. 23:17; Deut. 16:16). Its central feature was the exclusion of all leaven (a symbol for sin). This feast reminded the believing Israelite that he needed to live a clean life since God had redeemed him by the blood of the Passover lamb (cf. 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9).

57. The feast of Unleavened Bread points to the time of Jesus' burial, after His perfect, sinless sacrifice on the cross, during which He was received by God the Father as holy and complete (the Holy One who would not see corruption, Acts 2:27), perfectly accomplishing our salvation.

58. The Feast of Firstfruits 23:9-14 Concurrent with the feast of unleavened bread was the feast of first fruits, which came on the day after the Sabbath after Passover. This would place it on a Sunday and therefore it was an anticipation of the resurrection of Christ, the "first fruits from the dead.“ (1Cor. 15:20). The Feast of Firstfruits included the presentation of firstfruits of the spring barley harvest in the Promised Land. The Israelites also offered a lamb, flour, and wine, all representative of God's provisions of spiritual and physical food and drink for His people.

59. The feast of Firstfruits relates to the resurrection of Jesus, who was the first human to receive resurrection; He is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18) and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep... Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ's at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23)

60. The Feast of Pentecost 23:15-22 Fifty days after the feast of Firstfruits, at the completion of the wheat harvest, Israel was to celebrate the feast of Pentecost (also known as Feast of Weeks) by bringing a new grain offering to the LORD; and by waving two loaves of leavened bread unto the LORD. God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers permanently on Pentecost, which was the birth of the Church (Acts 2).

61. Since each of the four feasts relevant to the first coming of Jesus saw their prophetic fulfillment on the exact day of the feast: Jesus was actually crucified on the Passover (John 19:14). His body would have been buried, and His holy and pure sacrifice acknowledged by God the Father during the Feast of Unleavened Bread following, and He would have risen from the dead on Firstfruits, the day after Passover's Sabbath. Additionally, the church was founded on the actual day of Pentecost. Thus, many scholars take this logic one step further…

62. Interestingly, between the first set of four feasts and the second set of three feasts, there is a significant time gap - almost four months, which was a time of harvest in Israel. Many scholars believe this points prophetically as a time of “harvest” for the Church, “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25) If this is true, scholars further postulate that the second group of the last three feasts relate to events connected with the second coming of Jesus.

63. The Feast of Trumpets 23:23-25 During the seventh month (Tishri) of Israel's religious calendar three festivals took place. The Jews celebrated the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) on the first day of this month. Its central feature was the loud blast of trumpets. After the Babylonian captivity the Jewish civil year began on this day. Thus Rosh Hashanah became Israel’s New Year celebration.

64. Is there a connection??? A trumpet will sound calling Christians to meet the Lord in the air (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16- 17). It will also assemble the Israelites and herald the Day of the Lord when God will again resume His dealings with His people Israel in Daniel's seventieth week (Jer. 32:37). Thus, some scholars believe The feast of Trumpets speaks of the ultimate assembly of God's people at the sound of a trumpet - the rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16- 17), and of the gathering of Israel for the special purpose God has for them in the last days.

65. Immediately following the Feast of Trumpets begins the seven Days of Affliction (also known as the "The Days of Awe“), in anticipation of the Day of Atonement. Many suggest this is prophetic of the Tribulation

66. The Day of Atonement 23:26-32 The Day of Atonement was observed on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri). This day was a fast rather than a feast. The people were to "humble" or "deny” themselves (v. 29), which involved fasting and abstaining from their normal pleasures and comforts (cf. 16:29). God permitted no ordinary work on this day (vv. 28, 30-32).

67. Since this was the only day the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and see God “face-to-face” …and because this is a time when the hearts are humbled…scholars theorize this the day of the Lord’s return

68. The Feast of Tabernacles 23:33-44 The Feast of Tabernacles began on the 15 th of the seventh month It commemorated the Israelites' journey from Egyptian bondage to blessing in Canaan. Its other names were the Feast of Booths and the Feast of Ingathering. The people built booths out of branches and lived under these for the duration of this eight-day festival as a reminder of their life in the wilderness. They presented many offerings during this holiday (Num. 29:12-38). It was the only festival in which God commanded the Israelites to rejoice, and it revolved around the harvest of grapes and other fall field products. (Lev 23:40)

69. Since this feast starts with a Sabbath and ends with a Sabbath (periods of rest) and it is a “joyous” time, many scholars associate it with the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom in Israel. Also, the Feast of Tabernacles is specifically said to be celebrated during the millennium (Zechariah 14:16-19).

70. Leviticus wraps up with several regulations for maintaining the covenant relationship. God’s says in effect, “trust me, I know what is best for you.”

71. Just so you did not miss the main point: Five times in Leviticus God says, "Be holy, for I am holy" (11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7,26). And forty-five times He says, "I am the Lord" or "I am the Lord your God." One of the most important themes in the book is God's call for His people to be holy. Jesus echoed that theme when He said, "You shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). This begs the question: is being “perfect” your ultimate aim in life? If not, why not????