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Scope: Entire book of Leviticus

Marty said he didn't have a good Leviticus resource for verse by verse - I recommend Naked Bible's series on Leviticus.

Mariage Analogy

Tabernacle is the Honeymoon Suite

Leviticus is like the Owner's Manual for the Tabernacle

Owner's Manual

Exodus 19:5–6 (LEB)
5And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a //treasured possession// for me out of all the peoples, for all the earth is mine, 
6but you, you will belong to me as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”

treasured possession is the marriage language that a groom uses to describe his bride

kingdom of priests is interesting language... Israel would be familiar with a kingdom having priests, but being a kingdom of priests is a new concept.

Leviticus

Section 1: Atonement

Chapters 1-7

Section 2: Priesthood

Chapters 8-10 and 21-22

Higher expectations of priests as representatives of people This helps the Israelites understand why the rules exist - becuase the rules are tighter for priests than layiety, but the rules for laiety are stricter than in other ANE codes

What is a priest?

A priest's role is to help the people know that they are right with God, it's not about getting it right, doing right, living right, making oneself good, etc. It is all about Yahweh communicating with his people that he loves them.

A priest puts God on display

• Actions/rituals
• Clothing
• Place where he works

God's people are to be "holy", "perfect" (bad translation in Greek)... but "Holy" is "Kadesh/Qa-dos".... "qedoshim" are the holy ones - this is was becomes "saints" in the LXX... God's people are to act different, consecrated, holy, perfect... get it? It's not about perfection as we think about it - it's about acting like Yahweh's holy people.

• Helps the people navigate their atonement
  • Leviticus 16 and day of atonement
  • General atonement rules in 1-5
• The people also learn from their priest how to interact with God which in turn teaches them how to lead others to rightly interact with Yahweh
• Intercedes on behalf of others
  • priest stands before God and pleads on behalf of the people (think Abraham protecting Lot et.al in Sodom)
  • Israel is supposed to stand in the gap between Yahweh and the world - we are supposed to bring the world to Yahweh
• Distributes resources to those in need

Section 3: How to live as a priest

Rules to follow and reasons why

• images
  • colors
  • materials
  • images in clothing etc.
• Torah/Kosher
  • no pork
  • no blood

Primary reason is to be set apart - for Yahweh's people to be different

Note that I disagree that this is an all-encompassing explanation

Section 4: How to party

Chapters 23-24

rest

Personally I'm not sure where I land with this being a biblical point... that 'there's a right time to splurge' makes sense... I'm just not sure yet

Section 5: Caring for the oppressed

Chapters 25-27

God puts value on everyone... this is not about God valuing men more than women, or young more than old... he values all at all - many other. all other, ANE codes had zero value on the peoples that God explicitly names in this section

Chiasm

• Rituals of redemptions (1-7)
  • Priesthood (8-10)
    • Holiness code (11-15)
      • Day of Atonement (16)
    • Holiness code (17-20)
  • Priesthood (21-22)
• Rituals of Redemption (23-27)

Middle - Day of Atonement

I don't think I'm fully on board with Marty's short summary that sin is being stored up and imputed on the second goat and stuff... I think we have to discuss ritual vs moral impurity before Leviticus makes sense... really for me this just comes down to needing a better/fuller definition of sin

For us

Are we doing what priests did?

• Do I help others understand atonement?
• Do I make sure that resources are distributed to those in need?
• Do I intercede on behalf of others?