The purpose of leviticus is to provide instruction and laws to guide a sinful, yet redeemed people in their relationship with. The book of leviticus opens with regulations for israels sacrificial system. Leviticus 19 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, filling six volumes, provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the bible. With all of the book of leviticus rules and its lack of story, it is no surprise that it is not anyones favorite book of the bible. It doesnt tell a story like the book of exodus or kings.
Many of the moral laws of the bible also have definite health implications. Leviticus is along with deuteronomy one of the two law books of the old testament and apparently the most popular book of the entire bible. Behind the various offerings lies a deep conviction that god is the lord of all creation. Leviticus 19 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary. The structure and meaning of leviticus 19 155 perhaps the most rewarding approach is to focus on the opening verb g n h, particularly as the next section employs the contrasting term g z i, and complete this evaluation once we have examined vv 14. We do not follow all the levitical laws in the old testament because some of those laws were intended only for israel, while others were for everyone. Leviticus 19, international childrens bible icb the. Leviticus 1922 niv various laws the lord said to moses. The book of leviticus, chapter 19 king james bible.
For the most part they cohere as a system and attempt to inculcate a way of life in the books hearers and readers. Interesting some want to choose when to follow the word and not follow the word depending on if it may fit into their personal beliefs. Leviticus has a lot of rules about putting things in order, starting right away in chapter one. This book explores how the sacrificial rituals and. We have enlisted hundreds of friends biblical scholars, theologians, homileticians and pastors dedicated to the craft of biblical preaching to provide you timely, compelling and trustworthy content. You shall be holy, for i the lord your god am holy, says. The key to understanding leviticus s emphasis on holiness is not hidden. The book of leviticus opens with god calling moses from the tabernacle. Jul 01, 2014 4 sins that are also okay if you ignore leviticus on homosexuality 3. Thus, leviticus is best explained as a guidebook for instructing gods people about holy living and worship. It contains laws on a variety of topics, and is attributed by legend to moses.
Thou shalt not hate as thou dost, in effect, if thou dost not rebuke him thy brother the same as thy neighbour, that is, every man. These are some of the things the other nations were committing that were forbidden to israel. The levites leviticus essentially meaning book of the levites were one of the 12 tribes, whose duty it was to. In the socalled code of holiness leviticus 19, imitation of divine holiness is offered as the. With all of the book of leviticus rules and its lack of story, it is no surprise that it is not anyones favorite book of the bible to read. There is no evidence that jesus had a broader outlook see matthew 15. In leviticus the principles of approaching god are shown. Leviticus 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the book of leviticus in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. This is why christians and muslims are morally confused, and orthodox jews do not believe in a creator god that sends anyone to a heaven or a hell. The book of leviticus the book of leviticus the name leviticus was given to the third book of the pentateuch by the ancient greek translators because a good part of this book deals with concerns of the priests, who are of the tribe of levi. The perplexing arrangement of the laws in leviticus 19 invariably invites comment about their seeming lack of order. God said that there should be a portion of the crops given to those who are poor and hungry.
Leviticus used to be the first book that jewish children studied in the synagogue. How many christians have purposed to read through the entire bible and made it through genesis and exodus only to get bogged down in this seemingly obscure collection of ceremonial laws and rituals. I teach a bible study class and we are presently in the book of leviticus. Leviticus 1922 nkjv moral and ceremonial laws and the. And the moral laws of this chapter are not mere injunctions of conformity. Leviticus 19 niv bible the lord said to moses, speak to. It contains laws about worship in general and rules and customs on ceremonies in consecrations and sacrificial offerings. Leviticus 19 bible commentary wesleys explanatory notes. In addition to these concerns, leviticus, comprising as it does the center of the pentateuch, carries forward the narrative of exodus cf. In exodus god saved his people and formed an alliance with them. Scholars have used the miscellaneous character of the laws as evidence for their originating in different sources, times, and places, before finding a common location in leviticus 19.
Leviticus, numbers and deuteronomy are often seen as very boring to christians. It is probably no exaggeration to say that among christians, the book of leviticus is one of the most neglected books in the bible. Health is a critical issue today as well, and even if the book of leviticus were not. The prime emphasis of the holiness described in leviticus 19 is ethical. The ceremonies detailed in this book are about serving him as a holy and righteous god, as a god who sanctifies, or makes holy, his people 20. Tattoos and cuttings on the flesh were also forbidden leviticus 19.
Thats why its a vital piece of the torah, the foundation of the rest of scripture. There were practical reasons for these laws related to health and sanitation. The issue of body piercings and tattoos i have had quite a few discussions in the past. Aug 02, 20 1 thought on the top 10 weirdest old testament laws susan april 9, 2018 at 1. Leviticus 1922 new king james version nkjv moral and ceremonial laws. Leviticus chapter 19 also lists laws on how to properly harvest ones crops. The day of atonement is the focal point of the book of leviticus this. These verses discuss the concept of mixing materials and fibers that are of completely different characteristics. But many do not understand that these verses do allow for the mixture of certain fabrics while being within gods law. In the modern church it tends to be the last part of the bible anyone looks at seriously. Leviticus 19, new king james version nkjv the bible app. This same introductory statement precedes the enumeration of other health laws in the book of leviticus.
The book leviticus, the third of five books of the pentateuch, was written by jews for jews so why protestants, catholics and muslims pay any attention to it is a full blown mystery. The overall message of leviticus is sanctification. You forgot the one where if a woman menstruates she is defiled for 7 days. Adultery and fornication are clearly forbidden in scripture exodus 20. Happily, the bible is an open wysiwyg book, that is, what you see is what you get. God invites israel to live in close proximity to his holy presence. The book sets up rituals and rules that make the priests of god the group that holds the israelites together. Jul 01, 20 leviticus is known as a book of rules which it is. Twopage spread from johannes gutenbergs 42line bible, c. The health laws found in the bible pose an interesting dilemma for anyone who. Leviticus reveals that a god who is set apart from all other gods must have a similar people 11. The top 10 weirdest old testament laws stephen c james. The book communicates that receiving gods forgiveness and acceptance should be followed by holy living and spiritual growth.
This strange mosaic injunction, called the law of shaatnez by jews, is regarded by jewish scholars. The book of leviticus is the book of fellowship or communion. Everything from sexual conduct to the handling of food, to instructions for worship and religious celebrations, is covered in detail in the book of leviticus. In practice then, though not in theory, leviticus is treated as though it does not really belong to the canon of scripture. May 27, 2012 thanks to the tumblr atheist heres chapter and verse on a moreorless comprehensive list of things banned in the leviticus book of the bible. Leviticus and work bible commentary theology of work. Study leviticus 19 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. In leviticus 1120, where these laws are first outlined in detail, we find that the lord spoke to moses and aaron, saying to them, speak to the children of israel, saying, these are the animals which you may eat leviticus 11.
You shall be holy, for i the lord your god am holy. What are the rules of the book of leviticus answers. The coolest kids in the promised land are the priests of the tribe of levior at least thats what leviticus wants everyone to believe. What is the covenant that god has made with leviticus. In short, ancient israel did not obey leviticus as a peculiar set of regulations. Leviticus 19 bible commentary matthew henry concise. Now that israel had been redeemed by god, they were to be purified into a people worthy of their god. Book of leviticus overview insight for living ministries.
Leviticus 19 1 the lord said to moses, 2 speak to the entire assembly of israel and say to them. Stand over there, arrange the wood, wash various animal parts, remove the fat and bloodgod at a sacrifice is a lot like a typea dad at a bbq. If thy brother hath done wrong, thou shalt neither divulge it to others, nor hate him, and smother that hatred by sullen silence. Study guide for leviticus 19 by david guzik blue letter bible. For example, atonement for unintentional sins was meant for israel lev. Other lawsthe lord said to moses, tell all the people of israel. Leviticus 1922 new international version niv various laws. Leviticus with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of leviticus is sort of like a priests handbook. Leviticus 19 is a crucial chapter for christians as well as the ancient israelites for a variety of reasons. Why do we follow some levitical laws and not others. Join our global torah club community as we study the book of leviticus. As i taught thru chapter 19 i was thinking okdont practice sorcery, pierce or cut yourself, let your daughter become a prostitute, all of the things i understood. Because the israelites had been held captive in egypt for 400 years, the concept of god had been distorted by the polytheistic, pagan egyptians.
But specifically, its a book of rules that the ancient israelites believed they had to follow in order to be close to their god. No man my touch her and wherever she lies or sits on, that is also defiled. The top five most ridiculous things in leviticus by greg posted on february 29, 2012 continuing on our series of most ridiculous posts see our previous posts on genesis and exodus we come to the third book of the old testament, leviticus. Book of exodus i old testament stories i animated childrens bible stories holy tales bible stories duration. While there are hints at how holiness is to be practiced by the people of god earlier in the pentateuch, it is in the 19th chapter of the book of leviticus that holiness is defined in great detail. Oct 26, 2014 working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. The working preacher team believes that god uses good biblical preaching to change lives. Oct 23, 2011 remember that leviticus indeed, the whole bible decries and forbids magic leviticus 19. Therefore jehovah speaks primarily out of the tabernacle of congregation in this book chap. Leviticus chapter 19 details additional laws that god gave the people. And aaron said unto moses for what moses had said was said in his presence, though not addressed to him directly, but to his sons. Some of the laws in leviticus were told to the jews to either protect their health, or make sure that they set.