When you approach the book of Leviticus, it is often with trepidation. After all, at first glance, it might best be titled, “15 different reasons to skin a goat.” This said, Leviticus takes the reader on an interesting study of relationship. Primarily, how does sinful man relate to God who is holy? It tells us a great deal about the character of God Himself and makes it clear that to dwell in the presence of a holy God is no light thing. This is perhaps captured best in Leviticus 11:44-45, “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy…For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.” This leads us then to the central idea of the book, and that is, how do you live life in the presence of a holy God?
With all this talk of holiness, it is important not to miss the profound grace that is demonstrated by what is contained in this book. It may be said of Leviticus that “it is God’s love letter to His people;” in fact, its Hebrew title is “And He Called.” As you read through all the technical jargon, all the odd (to us) requirements, all the gruesome (to us) bloodletting, it is easy to get lost. While it will not answer all your questions about why God did things a certain way; keeping in mind that the reason for all these requirements was so that God could dwell among His people and have a relationship with them will help you keep your bearings. The Lord wanted them to be with Him! The only way to accomplish this was to have certain protections in place. Those protections were also designed to teach the people about God, His love for them, and the relationship that they enjoyed with Him in vivid, provocative, and experiential ways. It really is a marvelous display of the lengths to which God is willing to go to be with those He loves.
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