A WAY TO COMMUNE WITH GOD
The book of law was written to the Hebrew People (Jews). These were the chosen people of God, but they needed help in order to stay in God’s good graces. For this reason, God spoke unto Moses the words that are recorded in this book. The ritual sacrifices that are mentioned were necessary for these people to maintain a state of holiness to be able to draw near to God. Without these guidelines from God, there would have been no way for the Hebrews to commune with the Father. One key thing about this book is that it shows us (Christians) how important it is to God for us to be holy and righteous, keeping His statues and accepting His judgments. “For if we have obedience to Him and His laws; we will walk in them” (Leviticus 18:4). For Christians, these examples show us that we must obey Christ in all of His doctrine to have communion with Him.
- Whoever [a]transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son ( 2 John 9).
- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).
GOD PROVIDES THE SACRIFICE
The book of Leviticus had a specific purpose: to show that God is Holy and man is not. Along with this, God shows man that he needs continual cleansing for the sins which he has committed. The book shows that it is possible for sinners to draw near to God, and how to worship Him properly. It also shows God’s love for His creation in respect to how He makes a relationship with Him obtainable. Aside from the obvious purpose of the book as it was pertaining to the Jews in that time period, God shows us that we must come to Him of our own free will. He shows us the ultimate sacrifice is Jesus Christ which He had planned from the beginning. We can see confirmation of this in the book of Isaiah chapter 53, but it is important to remember that these types and shadows are not limited to Isaiah. Here are the types in Isaiah when compared to the book of Leviticus. 1) Burnt Offering – Isaiah 53:11; cf. Leviticus 1, 2) Peace Offering –Isaiah 53:5; cf. Leviticus 3, 3) Sin Offering – Isaiah 53:6,10-12; cf. Leviticus 4-5, 4) Trespass Offering – Isaiah 53:5; cf. Leviticus 5:15-19; Leviticus 6:1-7, 5) Meal Offering – Isaiah 53:3,10; cf. Leviticus 2 (www.preacherfiles.com/M.B.Riley4).
To be continued…