Other lawsthe lord said to moses, tell all the people of israel. The key to understanding leviticus s emphasis on holiness is not hidden. You shall be holy, for i the lord your god am holy. Study guide for leviticus 19 by david guzik blue letter bible. The coolest kids in the promised land are the priests of the tribe of levior at least thats what leviticus wants everyone to believe. The purpose of leviticus is to provide instruction and laws to guide a sinful, yet redeemed people in their relationship with. The top 10 weirdest old testament laws stephen c james. And aaron said unto moses for what moses had said was said in his presence, though not addressed to him directly, but to his sons. God invites israel to live in close proximity to his holy presence. How many christians have purposed to read through the entire bible and made it through genesis and exodus only to get bogged down in this seemingly obscure collection of ceremonial laws and rituals. You forgot the one where if a woman menstruates she is defiled for 7 days.
Leviticus 19, new king james version nkjv the bible app. This book explores how the sacrificial rituals and. If thy brother hath done wrong, thou shalt neither divulge it to others, nor hate him, and smother that hatred by sullen silence. But specifically, its a book of rules that the ancient israelites believed they had to follow in order to be close to their god. God said that there should be a portion of the crops given to those who are poor and hungry. Many of the moral laws of the bible also have definite health implications.
The health laws found in the bible pose an interesting dilemma for anyone who. Leviticus 19 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary. Oct 23, 2011 remember that leviticus indeed, the whole bible decries and forbids magic leviticus 19. The rich and powerful must also not have special privileges that give them advantages over everyone else. This strange mosaic injunction, called the law of shaatnez by jews, is regarded by jewish scholars. I teach a bible study class and we are presently in the book of leviticus.
For example, atonement for unintentional sins was meant for israel lev. In leviticus the principles of approaching god are shown. Tattoos and cuttings on the flesh were also forbidden leviticus 19. Leviticus 1922 new international version niv various laws. The issue of body piercings and tattoos i have had quite a few discussions in the past. For the most part they cohere as a system and attempt to inculcate a way of life in the books hearers and readers. In fact, leviticus has exactly zero plot and is 100% exposition of the law. The book of leviticus is the book of fellowship or communion. Leviticus chapter 19 also lists laws on how to properly harvest ones crops. The book of leviticus opens with regulations for israels sacrificial system.
Leviticus with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. In the socalled code of holiness leviticus 19, imitation of divine holiness is offered as the. There is no evidence that jesus had a broader outlook see matthew 15. The top five most ridiculous things in leviticus by greg posted on february 29, 2012 continuing on our series of most ridiculous posts see our previous posts on genesis and exodus we come to the third book of the old testament, leviticus. The levites leviticus essentially meaning book of the levites were one of the 12 tribes, whose duty it was to. Leviticus, numbers and deuteronomy are often seen as very boring to christians. Health is a critical issue today as well, and even if the book of leviticus were not. There were practical reasons for these laws related to health and sanitation. Leviticus 19 bible commentary wesleys explanatory notes. Leviticus is along with deuteronomy one of the two law books of the old testament and apparently the most popular book of the entire bible. We do not follow all the levitical laws in the old testament because some of those laws were intended only for israel, while others were for everyone. The working preacher team believes that god uses good biblical preaching to change lives. In short, ancient israel did not obey leviticus as a peculiar set of regulations. Happily, the bible is an open wysiwyg book, that is, what you see is what you get.
Leviticus reveals that a god who is set apart from all other gods must have a similar people 11. Leviticus 1922 nkjv moral and ceremonial laws and the. You shall be holy, for i the lord your god am holy, says. Therefore jehovah speaks primarily out of the tabernacle of congregation in this book chap. This same introductory statement precedes the enumeration of other health laws in the book of leviticus.
Scholars have used the miscellaneous character of the laws as evidence for their originating in different sources, times, and places, before finding a common location in leviticus 19. It contains laws about worship in general and rules and customs on ceremonies in consecrations and sacrificial offerings. Leviticus 19 niv bible the lord said to moses, speak to. In addition to these concerns, leviticus, comprising as it does the center of the pentateuch, carries forward the narrative of exodus cf. Behind the various offerings lies a deep conviction that god is the lord of all creation.
Oct 26, 2014 working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. With all of the book of leviticus rules and its lack of story, it is no surprise that it is not anyones favorite book of the bible. The structure and meaning of leviticus 19 155 perhaps the most rewarding approach is to focus on the opening verb g n h, particularly as the next section employs the contrasting term g z i, and complete this evaluation once we have examined vv 14. Now that israel had been redeemed by god, they were to be purified into a people worthy of their god. Leviticus 19 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, filling six volumes, provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the bible. The book leviticus, the third of five books of the pentateuch, was written by jews for jews so why protestants, catholics and muslims pay any attention to it is a full blown mystery. Join our global torah club community as we study the book of leviticus. Interesting some want to choose when to follow the word and not follow the word depending on if it may fit into their personal beliefs.
The book communicates that receiving gods forgiveness and acceptance should be followed by holy living and spiritual growth. The prime emphasis of the holiness described in leviticus 19 is ethical. We have enlisted hundreds of friends biblical scholars, theologians, homileticians and pastors dedicated to the craft of biblical preaching to provide you timely, compelling and trustworthy content. The book of leviticus, chapter 19 king james bible. Thou shalt not hate as thou dost, in effect, if thou dost not rebuke him thy brother the same as thy neighbour, that is, every man. Leviticus 19 1 the lord said to moses, 2 speak to the entire assembly of israel and say to them.
In the modern church it tends to be the last part of the bible anyone looks at seriously. Leviticus 19, international childrens bible icb the. Leviticus 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the book of leviticus in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. Jul 01, 2014 4 sins that are also okay if you ignore leviticus on homosexuality 3. Leviticus used to be the first book that jewish children studied in the synagogue. While there are hints at how holiness is to be practiced by the people of god earlier in the pentateuch, it is in the 19th chapter of the book of leviticus that holiness is defined in great detail. Leviticus has a lot of rules about putting things in order, starting right away in chapter one. These are some of the things the other nations were committing that were forbidden to israel. Jul 01, 20 leviticus is known as a book of rules which it is.
What are the rules of the book of leviticus answers. The book of leviticus the book of leviticus the name leviticus was given to the third book of the pentateuch by the ancient greek translators because a good part of this book deals with concerns of the priests, who are of the tribe of levi. Because the israelites had been held captive in egypt for 400 years, the concept of god had been distorted by the polytheistic, pagan egyptians. Stand over there, arrange the wood, wash various animal parts, remove the fat and bloodgod at a sacrifice is a lot like a typea dad at a bbq. Leviticus 1922 new king james version nkjv moral and ceremonial laws. No man my touch her and wherever she lies or sits on, that is also defiled. Thus, leviticus is best explained as a guidebook for instructing gods people about holy living and worship. Leviticus 1922 niv various laws the lord said to moses. The perplexing arrangement of the laws in leviticus 19 invariably invites comment about their seeming lack of order. The book of leviticus opens with god calling moses from the tabernacle. It doesnt tell a story like the book of exodus or kings.
The overall message of leviticus is sanctification. In exodus god saved his people and formed an alliance with them. Aug 02, 20 1 thought on the top 10 weirdest old testament laws susan april 9, 2018 at 1. The book sets up rituals and rules that make the priests of god the group that holds the israelites together. May 27, 2012 thanks to the tumblr atheist heres chapter and verse on a moreorless comprehensive list of things banned in the leviticus book of the bible. The book of leviticus is sort of like a priests handbook. Leviticus 19 bible commentary matthew henry concise. With all of the book of leviticus rules and its lack of story, it is no surprise that it is not anyones favorite book of the bible to read. Some of the laws in leviticus were told to the jews to either protect their health, or make sure that they set. Leviticus is a book about the rites of jewish liturgy. Everything from sexual conduct to the handling of food, to instructions for worship and religious celebrations, is covered in detail in the book of leviticus. This is why christians and muslims are morally confused, and orthodox jews do not believe in a creator god that sends anyone to a heaven or a hell.
The day of atonement is the focal point of the book of leviticus this. Book of leviticus overview insight for living ministries. Adultery and fornication are clearly forbidden in scripture exodus 20. In practice then, though not in theory, leviticus is treated as though it does not really belong to the canon of scripture. In leviticus 1120, where these laws are first outlined in detail, we find that the lord spoke to moses and aaron, saying to them, speak to the children of israel, saying, these are the animals which you may eat leviticus 11.
It is probably no exaggeration to say that among christians, the book of leviticus is one of the most neglected books in the bible. Leviticus 19 is a crucial chapter for christians as well as the ancient israelites for a variety of reasons. What is the covenant that god has made with leviticus. Study leviticus 19 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. It contains laws on a variety of topics, and is attributed by legend to moses. And the moral laws of this chapter are not mere injunctions of conformity. Book of exodus i old testament stories i animated childrens bible stories holy tales bible stories duration. Leviticus and work bible commentary theology of work. As i taught thru chapter 19 i was thinking okdont practice sorcery, pierce or cut yourself, let your daughter become a prostitute, all of the things i understood. The ceremonies detailed in this book are about serving him as a holy and righteous god, as a god who sanctifies, or makes holy, his people 20. Thats why its a vital piece of the torah, the foundation of the rest of scripture. Twopage spread from johannes gutenbergs 42line bible, c.