And, yes, I'm only going to write one post about the book of Leviticus. In all seriousness, the book of Leviticus is one of my favorite books. I find everything about the book fascinating — the message, the medium, the historical context, the packaging, the literature. I feel as if there are two ways to talk about Leviticus (and I realize I am wrong, there must be many ways to talk about it): the “10,000-foot view” and the “word-by-word” view. This, of course, helps me decide how I'm going to write about Leviticus, since the scope of this blog is to write about the overarching narrative of the Text.
One of things I love about the 10,000-foot view is its ability to help us understand the big picture of Leviticus, something that nobody seems to talk much about. And if we have been correct about what God is up to in the world — if we are right about God trying to put the world back together — we should see that displayed in the Levitical law.
Well, back in Exodus, we had heard a statement made by God:
"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:5–6)
Now we had chatted about the “treasured possession” portion of that verse. But we had left out the missional piece of that statement. It wasn't just that God was looking for a bride, but He wanted that bride for a purpose. He had a mission. We've been seeing this mission throughout, from Noah, to Abram, and the Red Sea.
God wanted His people to be priests, which raises some questions for this wandering nation of nomads in the desert. What is a priest? What does a priest do? And how are we going to be a “kingdom” of priests?
Well, luckily, God gave the people the book of Leviticus. The role of the book of Leviticus is to describe the Levitical priesthood. Here is the way that I outline the book of Leviticus for my students:
ATONEMENT (Chapters 1–7)
THE PRIESTHOOD (Chapters 8–10; 21–22)
HOW TO LIVE AS “PRIESTS” (Chapters 11–20)
HOW TO PARTY (Chapters 23–24)
CARING FOR THE OPPRESSED (Chapters 25–27)
ATONEMENT. Before we even discuss any other component of kingdoms and priesthoods, before we hand out any laws, God wants to communicate clearly to His people that He is for them and there is peace in their relationship. The book of Hebrews will tell us that this system was set up for the “cleansing of their conscience” (Hebrews 9). In a world filled with uncertainty about where a person stood with the gods, this God — speaking in the sacrificial language of culture — gave His people a clean and succinct prescription for atonement. This would have been an incredible message of grace (a great resource for this discussion would be watching “The Gods Aren't Angry” by Rob Bell).
THE PRIESTHOOD. I am then introduced to the priest. The roles of the priest are seen throughout the book of Leviticus (also Numbers and even Deuteronomy), but they can be boiled down into four roles: First, they put God on display. The priest dresses differently, pursues a different economy, and has limits on his sexuality; the priest looks different. This is key, because our God is different. The word for being different, or “set apart,” in the Hebrew is kodosh. When you look at the priest, you are reminded of the oddity of God's love. Second, they help people navigate their atonement. The priest helps facilitate the sacrificial system spoken of above. It is his job to help walk you through the process that reminds you of your right relationship before God. Third, the priest intercedes on behalf of the people. The priesthood stands in the gap between God and the people. They speak to the people on behalf of God, but they also speak to God on behalf of the people. It is the priest's role to plead the case of the people and ask for God's mercy, guidance, and discernment. Finally, the priest distributes resources to the oppressed. There is always extra and there is always a need. Those in need would come to the temple and the priests would take some of the extra and distribute it to those in need, as an act of justice.
HOW TO LIVE AS “PRIESTS.” We enter in the section of Leviticus that drives many a reader crazy. All of these arbitrary rules! But in fact, when we recognize that the “arbitrary rules” are bracketed by discussions of priesthood, the reader might realize that this set of rules is how God is setting His people apart. They are to put God on display, just like the priests; they will eat differently, dress differently, pursue a different economy, and even farm their fields in a way that differs from the nations around them. They are to help others navigate their atonement, by putting God's grace-filled system on public display for the nations around them. They are to intercede on behalf of others, working within a system that is based on justice and equality. And they will distribute resources to the oppressed through numerous opportunities to feast, tithe, and bring their first fruits to the LORD.
HOW TO PARTY. To put it quite simply, God ordains the party, because if we do not party on a regular basis, then we forget that the story is good. If we do not feast, there is a danger that we forget God's grace and get lost in the rules. The party is essential.
CARING FOR THE OPPRESSED. God demands that people pursue justice in His economy. He puts limits on debt and the methods used to seek repayment. He puts systems in place that give even creation itself the opportunity to rest and breathe — a reminder that the world does not spin because of its production. And He issues an incredible challenge called the Year of Jubilee. Every fifty years, the people would cancel all debts, restore all property — essentially, reset the clocks — and start afresh. God was seeking to avoid a world where the gap between the rich and poor would widen and widen and widen.
In a sense, when we read the book of Leviticus, we are being invited to see the world through the lens of God's mission. To be a kingdom of priests (a call that is echoed in 1 Peter), we need to be a people who are willing to tell a different story — willing to put God on display. We are to be people who help others find the place where their deficiencies and mistakes are atoned for. We stand in the gap and intercede on behalf of people everywhere, trying to find any way possible to invite people to a table to hold a little piece of bread and a little cup of juice. And we would be people who lead the way in distributing resources and pursuing justice who restore the world to God's Genesis 1 intention.
God is looking for partners — whether a b'hor, a bride, or a priest — who will help Him tell a different story in the world.
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