Thoughts on Leviticus - Unchanging God, Only Reality, Holiness

Leviticus is one of the most impacting books of SBS for me! I loved learning to look deeper as to why God set up these laws for holy living and the sacrificial system. I believe that it has opened up so much more of God’s character to me. I see through my own life that if people only read the New Testament they are not getting the full story – that the Old Testament also IS most essential to the story and is over 75% of the Bible! I hope that others make this same discovery! There is so much more that God desires to reveal about His character, love, and relationship with His people, not only to Israel but to His people today.

Below is a small portion of what I do in SBS - my final theme summary for Leviticus on holiness.

The holiness of God is displayed throughout Leviticus. God shows that His way for the Israelites to follow is DIFFERENT than that of the other nations, Egypt and Canaan. The offerings are specific and detailed, and each animal is perfect and the best. The priest is sanctified and atoned as also the people have to be atoned for. This process and atonement are defined by God and no one else. There are health laws regarding clean and unclean, from food to bodily functions and births, physical diseases and the state of houses and clothing. Uncleanness is not to be spread but eradicated and never near God. God defines the various aspects of society for the Israelites, economy, government, religion, and family. God defines laws for how to live holy for the priests and the common people. None are exempt. Some things such as blasphemy and idolatry have the punishment of death. God sets aside feasts and observances to remember Him, what He has done, and how He has provided. God who is holy gives a warning of blessing if they follow Him and of curses if they do not.

The Israelites are SET APART from the other nations, and chosen by God. This is the definition of holy, to be set apart. Through all of these laws and the sacrificial system, we see that God desires to dwell with His people. So the sacrifices and laws to be clean bring the people into God’s defined holiness and sanctification so that they can have relationship. Through the offerings and even the cleansing of daily life, Israel is reminded of their sin and their need for atonement. They CANNOT do this. God does this alone. This brings them into great reliance on God, in their thoughts and actions every day. As they enter into humility through God does and His dwelling with them, the Israelites are so thankful and worshipful towards God! So their holiness is fully reliant on the act and mercy of God, so also Israel’s holiness is also reliant on being upheld by the community. That is why they have sometimes seemingly harsh laws and thoroughly, painstaking laws! What they do affects one another, and a nation can downward spiral so easily if something is brushed over as permissible, even by omission. Also, God is setting Himself apart from the other nations! He is the only reality they are to know – He is defining true reality, which they do not know, as they only knew pagans gods and cultural practices before, as from Egypt - where they came from. God is holy, and the other nations are not! For God’s people to be holy, they need to fully reject everything of the pagan nations, even so that they do not fall into idolatry again. God is setting up an example to the nations of how to live for and with God, and He is setting them apart to use Israel to bring the full and true sacrifice that makes them holy – the better covenant that stands before the throne of God (from the book of Hebrews).

How could a list of laws, of sacrifices, blood spilt, killing of animals, waving of fat, burning of flesh (animal), do’s and don’t’s, and clean and unclean that we don’t understand be relevant today?! It SO is. Because what I learned this week is that it points to knowing God. It is defining His awesome and Holy character to new depths. He is so beautiful – His care, His desire for His people to know Him, and for Himself to dwell with them. “Jesus is coming but not yet,” He points out, “but you can know me,” He shouts! This God of Leviticus is the same God today – He didn’t change. He was taking care of His people in a rotten world – He was showing by their example, the true way for even the other nations to live. This is still God’s love for His people today! Bringing the healing of Jesus to make an unholy people holy. Only the holy can stand in the Presence of the Holy. I would encourage Christians today to study the Old Testament. Yes, God is God of the New, but He is God of the Old too. Pray for a deeper revelation of the character and nature of God – of who God is! And through that, He will show you how much He desires to dwell among you. (written Feb. 10, 2011)

Hope this will give you a glimpse of what I do in the School of Biblical Studies in South Africa. This is my Final Theme Summary, where I traced 1 theme through the book of 1 Timothy. Enjoy.

I desired to trace the theme of Paul’s encouragement to Timothy through the epistle of 1 Timothy. Paul calls Timothy his “true child” in 1 Tim. 1:2 and implores his to correct false teachers in the Ephesian church who are leading people away from the faith. Paul uses the example of his own life and Christ’s example to demonstrate to Timothy the example he should be also so that people may believe. Paul emphasizes twice the prophecies Timothy has received so that he would be empowered to walk in the gift and call that placed on his life. Not only does Paul encourage Timothy to be an example of godliness and sound doctrine in his own life but to train himself and to teach others in the church how to live out a godly life. This includes encouraging, teaching, and disciplining in church order, behavior, with leadership, young and those older than him, men and women, slaves and masters, widows and elders.

Paul is addressing this letter to Timothy because of the false teachers in the Ephesian church and how that is affecting people’s doctrines, their beliefs, but also how they live out their lives as believers. So Paul is imploring Timothy to teach and correct doctrines and behaviors, but he says that the aim of this is for “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” in 1 Tim. 1:5, and so the Ephesian believers should feel corrected and encouraged out of Timothy’s love and devotion. Paul’s attitude towards Timothy throughout the letter is one of encouragement, especially as Paul emphasizes his father heart for Timothy. But toward the end the letter Paul addresses Timothy as “man,” implying that Timothy is fully grown and fully called by God and fully given gifts for the task set before him. In difficult, confusing circumstances with attacks surrounding him, Timothy is reminded by Paul of the strong call of God on Timothy’s life, that God is his strength, is guiding him, and working through him. Timothy feels empowered and believed in by Paul to live godliness and to be an example, even to men much older than him and to people so different from him. Timothy feels supported by Paul to teach with confidence because of Paul’s encouragement and because of Paul’s organized, almost simple instructions. Paul is bringing Timothy back to the basics when people are heaping controversies about the meanings of words and that this or that means to do it this way and not that way. In all the Ephesian stew of syncretistic beliefs and teaching, Timothy is reminded he is not alone.

Encouragement should be significant and a part of the contemporary Christian believer’s life! Paul is a great example of how this should be done. So as Paul encourages Timothy in love and sometimes with strong words, Timothy is to encourage the Ephesian believers in love and even with strong words and correction, but all in love. In we could bring this into the church today, into discipleship, even into the secular workplace, I believe there would be changes. The greatest example I have is in my own life where I can think of many people who have encouraged me. God has used their encouragement to influence me to be the person I now am and to live the life I now lead. If I think of life without Christ and without Christians obedient to God in pursuing me, I would be a very different and sad person.