Bible Survey - #14/15 - Leviticus

Holiness and Love

The Lord gave His people a certain way of life to make them distinct from the nations around them. They were to approach Him through a special sacrificial system and to order their daily lives in ways that He commanded.

He did not always explain the symbolic meaning of the ceremonies He ordained, but He did give Israel certain key principles. One of the most important of these was that they were to be set apart as a holy and distinct people in their lives because He, their God, was a holy God. A second was that their ceremonial righteousness was to be accompanied by moral obedience, including a deep concern for the well-being of others.

The office of priest was an essential part of the Lord's plan for His relationship with the nation. The priest was to embody the holiness and love that God required of all those who would be His servants.

Levitical holiness was always about more than just scrupulous outward obedience. God called Israel to imitate Him in a deeper way. Any follower of God must still take that call very seriously today.

The goal of God was not to pass on all the Old Testament ceremonies to the nations. The fulfillment of every Levitical ritual was seen in the beauty of the cross.

The priests of old brought offerings to God.

They kept the feasts and judged clean from unclean.

But Christ, our Priest, washed all our sins away.

He calls us to be holy and to love.