This chapter seems like a reiteration of the prior chapters but there’s more to this chapter than repetition. Every time the text says, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying…,” you have a new edict from the Lord. Many of these edicts were only for the sons of Aaron, and not for the general public.
Category: Torah
When we commit “unintentional” sins and are later made aware of them, this text teaches us that we can’t simply say “oops” and ignore the revelation of that sin. This text shows us that when we become aware of some fault or sin, we must address the issue with repentance, restitution and restoration.
The church has taught most of us that all sins are created equal but the Torah shows us otherwise. God not only looks at the sin but at the motive of the heart of the person committing the sin and the extent of their influence in the community at large. God provided different rules and consequences for different kinds of sins based on the severity of the sin and the intent (or lack thereof) of the sinner. This chapter tells us how God wanted the people, the priests and the rulers to make atonement for their unintended wrongdoings against Him.
Leviticus starts with instructions about the three most important non-festival related offerings: whole offerings, sin offerings and peace offerings. Although we no longer have a Temple to offer up literal lambs, goats, bulls and doves, we can still discover what type of offering we can offer in our days that would be a “pleasing aroma” to Him.
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Exodus 12–40 recap
When Yeshua told the elders that the scriptures speak of Him, many of us had no idea how much Messianic foreshadowing is found in this book. The exit from Egypt after Passover and the journey to Canaan was orderly, not chaotic. The journeys to and from Egypt, for Abraham, Joseph, Jacob and the Messiah are a lesson for us.
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Exodus 1-6 recap
We need to look back on what we have learned in Exodus. Exodus is the most powerful book in the Bible because it reveals many aspects of God’s character. One of the lessons of the Book of Exodus is that often, the good deeds of great men are “seldom remembered” while the memory of “men who do great harm” live on.
This was true of both Joseph and Moses. As far as Egyptian history is concerned, both of these great men were rejected because of the arrogance of the Pharaoh. We are blessed by God that we have the Torah from God Himself, who made sure their deeds is recorded for us. God has not kept His will a secret. It’s all in the Bible.
We often reserve some very harsh judgment for our ancestors who left Egypt, presuming that if we were with them, we would have been smarter than them and not made their mistakes. However, this attitude shows our arrogance because we forget that it is God who has been gracious enough to us to give us His word so we would have the blessing of hindsight and insight at their expense. Rather than condemning our ancestors for their ignorance, we need to look at our own faults in the light of His word so that He can bless us with hindsight and insight to keep our own feet from stumbling.
From reading about the history and reliving the teachings through the annual appointed times, a.k.a. “feasts to the LORD” (Leviticus 23), we gain insight on the role of Messiah in the past and the future.