LEVITICUS. Windows into the Heart of God

LEVITICUS Windows into the Heart of God

LEVITICUS Sign Up Today Windows Fall Launch into the August Heart 13 of God

LEVITICUS Windows into the Heart of God

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Motivations for Obedience Relationship Retribution Reward Bruce Wilkinson

1 (Uncommon/Pagan) Unclean 7 8 10 Wash Wait (Common/Secular) Clean 11 Sacriﬁce Laws of Sacriﬁce Priesthood Laws of Puriﬁcation Laws of Holiness How do a sinful people live in the presence of holy YHWH? How do a sinful people worship? How does the holiness of YHWH aﬀect daily life? How can a sinful people make holiness a way of life? Redemption: Vows and Gifts (27:1-34) The regulation of life in the Land. Palestinian Covenant (26:1-46) Hope: Sabbatical and Jubilee Years (25:1-55) Participation: The Tabernacle and Blasphemy (24:1-23) Holy Days: Festivals (23:1-44) Worship: Regulations for Eating Sacriﬁces (22:1-33) Order: Standards for the Priests (21:1-24) Justice: Capital and Serious Crimes (20:1-27) Neighborliness: A Summary of the Law (19:1-37) 16 17 Intimacy: Sexual Behavior (18:1-30) Blood: Sacriﬁce and Food (17:1-16) The total removal of all the sin of the nation. The Day of Atonement (16:1-34) (Holiness and the Body) Unclean Discharges (15:1-33) (Holiness and Restoration) Cleansing of Diseases (14:1-57) (Holiness and Contamination) Unclean Diseases (13:1-59) (Holiness and Physical Life) Uncleanness in Childbirth (12:1-8) (Holiness and Mealtime) Unclean Animals (11:1-47) Ordination of Aaron and His Sons (8:1-36) (Consecration of the Ministry) Aaron s First Sacriﬁces (9:1-24) (Beginning of the Ministry) Judgment of Nadab and Abihu (10:1-20) (Violation of the Ministry) Sacriﬁce: Instructions for the Priest (6:8-7:38) Whole Burnt Oﬀering: Total Acceptance by God (1:1-17) Grain Oﬀering: Giving First Fruits to God (2:1-16) Peace Oﬀering: Fellowship with God (3:1-17) Sin Oﬀering: Payment for Personal Sin (4:1-5:13) Reparation Oﬀering: Payment for Sin that Damages (5:14-6:7) Sacriﬁce: Instructions for the People (1:1-6:7) Leviticus A Manual of Sanctification 27 (Spiritual/Sacred) Holy Moses set forth the sacriﬁces, cleansing, worship, and holiness necessary for a redeemed people to live as a holy priesthood with a holy YHWH dwelling in their midst in order to show the true way of approach to God. Ken Wilson 2017

Flow of Leviticus God is Holy and dwells with you. He desire to be with you. The holy LORD A holy Basic elements Once a year Holy living must be priesthood of daily life everything is throughout the approached on mediates remind us of set right so we year prepares the basis of access to the the reality of can meet with us to meet with substitutionary holy LORD. the holy LORD. the holy LORD. a holy LORD. atonement. (8-10) (11-15) (16) (17-25) (1-7) Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ is The Holy Spirit Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ is the perfect the High Priest is our daily our atonement the perfect substitute so providing reminder and will rid the fulfillment of we can be with access to a leading us to a world of sin so God s plan so a holy God! holy God! holy God! we can be with we can be with a holy God! a holy God! Obey the LORD so He can graciously bless you (26).

The Treaty of the Great King Suppiluliumas I was a Hittite King who reigned between 1344 1322 BCE (a contemporary of Moses). His empire was massive and we have records of his treaties with those he ruled. Those treaties have a standard form that is clearly seen in Exodus/Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Meredith Kline

The Structure of Deuteronomy & Hittite Treaties in the 2 nd Millennium B.C.E. Hittite Treaty Form PREAMBLE Identifies the parties of the treaty HISTORICAL PROLOGUE Reviews events leading to the treaty GENERAL STIPULATIONS States substance concerning the future relationship and summarizes the purpose of the specific stipulations SPECIFIC STIPULATIONS BLESSINGS AND CURSES DOCUMENT CLAUSE Calls for storage and periodic reading of the treaty DIVINE WITNESSES TO THE COVENANT Various deities are called on to witness the treaty [No parallel] Parallel in Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 1: 1 5 Deuteronomy 1: 6 3: 29 Deuteronomy 4 11 This is a long exhortation of Moses for Israel to obey God. Deuteronomy 12 26 The sermon continues with a detailed exposition on what the law demands of Israel. Deuteronomy 27 28 Deuteronomy 27: 1 5 Deuteronomy 29 33 Moses calls on heaven and earth as witnesses of the covenant between God and Israel (30: 19; 31: 28; 32: 1 43). Deuteronomy 27 28 Death of Moses

Deuteronomy$A$Call$for$Covenant$Faithfulness 1:1N5$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Introduction$and$Setting Covenant$History$(1:664:43) 1:6 Camped$at$Sinai$(1:6N18) Unfaithful$at$Kadesh$(1:19N46) Wandering$in$the$Desert$(2:1N3:29) Call$to$Obedience$(4:1N43) 1 2 3 4 Covenant$Stipulations Introduction$(4:44N5:5) The$Ten$Commandments$(5:6N21) Response$of$the$People$(5:22N33) EXPOSITION$OF$THE$TEN$COMMANDMENTS$(6:1N26:15) Related'to'God Priority$of$God$ (6:1N11:32) Worship$of$God$ (12:1N32) Commitment$to$God$ (13:1N14:21) Dedication$to$God$ (14:22N16:17) Exhortation$to$Obey$(26:16N19) Related'to'Man Man s$authority (16:18N18:22) Man s$dignity$n$murder (19:1N22:12) Man s$dignity$n$adultery$ (22:13N30) Man s$dignity$n$stealing$ (23:1N24:7) Man s$commitments$ (24:8N16) Man s$rights$ (24:17N26:15) 4:43 4:44 26:19 27:1 30:20 31:1 34:12 Sermon Sermon Sermon Farewell$Address 5 6 7 8 9 10 Covenant$Ratification$(27:1630:20) Blessing$and$Cursing$Pronounced$(27:1N26) Blessing$and$Cursing$Predicted$(28:1N68) The$Oath$of$the$Covenant$(29:1N29) Blessing$for$Repentance$(30:1N14) The$Choice$of$Life$or$Death$(30:15N20) Covenant$Continuity$(31:1634:12) Moses $Last$Words$(31:1N29) Moses $Song$(32:1N47) Moses $Last$Sight${The$Land}$(32:48N52) Moses $Tribal$Blessings$(33:1N29) Moses $Death$(34:1N12) Preamble Historical Prologue Covenant Stipulations Blessings &$Curses Epilogue The$Palestinian$Covenant Obedience$brings$Blessing (Leviticus$26:1N13$/$Deuteronomy$28:1N14) Disobedience$brings$Discipline (Leviticus$26:14N39$/$Deuteronomy$28:15N68) Repentance$brings$Restoration (Leviticus$26:40N46$/$Deuteronomy$30:1N10) The$Book$of$Deuteronomy$provides$a$record$of$three$of$Moses $sermons$and$his$farewell$address to$the$new$generation$poised$to$enter$the$promised$land$calling$them$to$covenant$faithfulness$and$loving$god$ in$order$to$motivate$the$new$generation$to$maintain$their$relationship$with$god$and$distinctive$witness$in$the$world. Ken Wilson 2013

Leviticus: Windows into the Heart of God God s people will be blessed for their obedience, disciplined for their disobedience, and restored when they repent, because God is faithful to His people.

Blessings God s covenant people will be blessed when they obey His decrees. Leviticus 26:1-13

Principle God s people must obey His commands. Leviticus 26:1-2

Principle Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. Leviticus 26:1-2

Particulars God will bless His people for their obedience. Leviticus 26:3-13

Blessing: Rewards for Obedience A blessing is some gift, some enrichment of life, or some enablement for prosperity that comes from God. By usage it most often represents a physical benefit, such as wealth, prosperity, children, success, for peace; but the blessing may also be spiritual, such as grace and peace (Num. 6:22-27) from God for communion with God (Ps. 144:15). Allen Ross

Particulars Prosperity (26:4-5) Peace (26:6-8) Productivity (26:9-10) Presence (26:11-13)

Prosperity If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. Leviticus 26:3-5

Peace I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. Leviticus 26:6-8

Productivity I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. Leviticus 26:9-10

Presence I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. Leviticus 26:11-13

Presence All the other blessings were nothing compared to the blessing of walking in companionship with God. Derek Tidball

Discipline God s covenant people will be disciplined when they disobey His decrees. Leviticus 26:14-39

Discipline: Definition God s carefully and lovingly orchestrated consequences designed to change behavior and build character.

Principle God will discipline His people. Leviticus 26:14-15

Cursing: Punishments for Disobedience The Hebrew concept of curse is simply that of removing or banishing a person from the place of blessing. Without the blessing of divine protection and provision, the people would have a difficult time in this world. They were left to their own devices and therein lay the curse. Allen Ross

Principle But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,... Leviticus 26:14-15

Cursing: Punishments for Disobedience The sins judged in this passage were serious violations of the law. These punishments were not for minor offenses by people trying to serve God, but for those who rejected and abhorred Gods laws. The powerful words to reject and abhor reflect attitudes that reveal the guilty have no loyalty to God, hold the commandments in contempt, and want nothing to do with the covenant. Allen Ross

reject (מ א ט) This is an emotionally intense word and eventually came to be the word used for loathing something or being repulsed by it. In the Old Testament the word is used of a complete rejection after consideration or treating something with contempt.

abhor (ג ע ל) Another intense word. The idea here is that which causes someone to recoil in disgust. The word is used to describe a person who encounters dung or filth. In this context it is viewing and responding to the commands of the LORD as if they are filth. More than turning your nose up, it is detesting it.

Particulars Discipline gets worse if God s people do not respond. Leviticus 26:16-39

Particulars Defeat (26:16-17) Drought (26:18-20) Wild Beasts (26:21-22) Devastation (26:23-26) Deportation (26:27-39)

Defeat...then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. Leviticus 26:16-17

Cursing: Punishments for Disobedience For rejecting and abhorring the law of the LORD, the LORD punished the people with terrifying and debilitating diseases drawn out over a long period with no food for regaining health and strength because enemies had plundered whatever they planted. Allen Ross

Drought If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit. Leviticus 26:18-20

Wild Beasts If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted. Leviticus 26:21-22

Devastation If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied. Leviticus 26:23-26

Deportation If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. Leviticus 26:27-31

Deportation I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it. Leviticus 26:32-35

Deportation As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors sins they will waste away. Leviticus 26:36-39

Restoration God s covenant people will be restored to a place of blessing when they repent and confess. Leviticus 26:40-46

God always holds out hope for restoration. Allen Ross

God s final word is always a word of promise, grace and hope. Derek Tidball

Principle Confession of sin results in forgiveness and restoration. Leviticus 26:40-42

Principle But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. Leviticus 26:40-42

Confession Restoration does not come cheaply. The seriousness of the people s sin has to be confessed if restoration is to be experienced. They are called upon to acknowledge that their wrongdoing was treachery, because they had committed treason against their sovereign God, and it had arisen, not as a result of unintended negligence or accidental drift, but from deeply entrenched attitudes of hostility toward him. Derek Tidball

remember (ז כ ר) This is more than just remembering as a mental recollection. This is the beginning of acting based on mental activity. The LORD remembered Noah and delivered him. The LORD remembered the Israelites in bondage and delivered them.

Particulars God will graciously forgive His people who make a humble confession. Leviticus 26:43-46

Particulars Sabbath (26:43) Remnant (26:44) Faithfulness (26:45-46)

Sabbath For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. Leviticus 26:43

Remnant Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God. Leviticus 26:44

Faithfulness But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD. These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the LORD established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses. Leviticus 26:45-46

Application: The Disciplines of the LORD To be part of God's covenant people, to belong to God, is to be blessed. To be out of relationship with God is to be cursed. The curses are equally presented in materialistic terms (as were the blessings), but it does not appear that they were ever intended to be applied in a mechanistic way, with a one-to-one relationship to individual lawbreaking. Mary J. Evans

Application: The Disciplines of the LORD They are there to show the Israelites that God must be taken seriously, that turning away from God's will for them will have devastating consequences, that being outside Yahweh is a terrible state, to be avoided at all cost. But just as the blessing in fact rests on Gods promise and is not portrayed as a reward for keeping the law, so the curse is not strictly speaking, a punishment for not keeping the law, but a description of the consequences of being outside of God s blessing. Mary J. Evans

Application: The Disciplines of the LORD The sovereign LORD God can still deal with nations or individuals who abhor his laws and do so in ways that are intended to bring them to repentance. The New Testament affirms this for Israel, for the church, and for the world. Allen Ross

Leviticus: Windows into the Heart of God God s people will be blessed for their obedience, disciplined for their disobedience, and restored when they repent, because God is faithful to His people.

LEVITICUS Windows into the Heart of God