LEVITICUS - THE BOOK OF WORSHIP
You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord
your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the
Lord who sanctifies you. (Leviticus 20:7-8).
ABOUT THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS
1. The Name of the Book.
a. Hebrew Name:
The names of the first five books of Moses are taken from the first
words which open the book.
In this case, the opening word is wa-ayiqra, "and he called."
b. Greek Name:
The Greek Septuagint uses the title Leuitikon, meaning "that which
pertains to the Levites." This title was given because so much of
the book deals with the ministry of the priesthood which descended
from the tribe of Levi.
2. Theme of Leviticus.
The book of Leviticus is a book about the rituals of WORSHIP and HOLINESS.
In this, it is a continuation of the Law which is set forth in Exodus.
Exodus ends with
the construction of
the Tabernacle.

Leviticus tell us about
the worship which
takes place within that
Tabernacle.
Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of
meeting... (Leviticus 1:1).
Exodus ends with the glory of the Lord moving into the Tabernacle. Leviticus
picks up with the presence of the Lord calling out to Moses from inside the
Tabernacle.
Leviticus teaches God's people how they are to approach Him and live pleasing in
His sight. Its central command is to "be HOLY."
"...You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus
19:2).
o
o
o
GENESIS
EXODUS
LEVITICUS
Origins
Deliverance
Life
of the Nation
of the Nation
of the Nation
Theocracy
Theocracy
Born
Established
Genesis begins with creation - it depicts the rise of God's people.
Exodus begins in bondage - it tells of the redemption from Egypt.
Leviticus begins in sacrifice - It sets forth the ritual of worship.
3. Structure of the Book.
Leviticus is written in the form of a large Chiasm - a parallel.
Laws of the Offerings (17).
Laws of the Priests (8-10)
Laws of Purity (11-15).
Day of Atonement (16).
Laws of Holiness (17-20).
Laws of the Priests (2122).
Appointed times (23-25).


Penalties for Disobedience
(26)
Making vows before the Lord
(27)
The last two chapters dealing with the penalties for disobedience (chapter 26) and
with the making of vows before the Lord (chapter 27) have been described as an
appendix; something that was added on at the end of the book because there was
no better place for it to go. I have come to think differently about these chapter.
Rather than seeing them as a parenthetical appendix, I believe them to be the
climactic portion of the book. They describe what is to take place if the people do
not pursue a course of holiness.
As such, these chapters form the "so what?" of the book. They deliver the punch
line. They tell us what God’s response will be if they fail to follow the path of
holiness.
Furthermore, the remainder of the Old Testament is the story of how these
warnings were fulfilled in the history of the nation of Israel. It will be virtually
impossible to read and to understand the prophets without understanding that the
warnings they issued to the people in their day were a virtual repeating of the
warnings of these two chapters.
***The above written information was taken from John Stevenson’s Bible Study
Page at : Johnstevenson.net and at angelfire.com/theology.
___________
Due Dates
Feb 11th: Intro: (Power point Intro to Leviticus ); Read Leviticus 1-5.
March 4th: Power point: The Law of the Offerings. Read Leviticus 1-7. Assignment 1 is DUE
March 11th: Power point: Priests and Purity. Read Leviticus 8-15. Assignment 2 is DUE
April 1st: Power point: The Day of Atonement and Laws of Holiness Read Leviticus 16-20.
April 8th: Power point: Priestly Laws, Special Times, Blessings, Cursings, and Vows. Read
Leviticus 21-27. Assignment 3 is DUE
**Please note that readings need to be completed prior to the start of class. We will discuss the
assigned readings, view power points, and/or video, and there will be pop-quizzes. Thanks for
your attention to the above mentioned dates. The schedule is subject to change as necessary.
Assignments: Study of the Book of Leviticus
Assignment 1: Due March 4th
Write a summary detailing one of the five types of Offerings. Be sure to include the following:
the purpose, God’s portion, the priest’s portion, and what it symbolizes. This assignment will be
collected at the beginning of class. It does not have to be word processed/typed.
Assignment 2: Due March 11th
Choose one to respond to in short answer form.
A. List and discuss the three positions in the Old Testament that required a person to be
anointed.
B. Compare and contrast the role and scope of the high priest vs. Jesus our eternal priest.
Assignment 3: Due April 8th
Respond to both statements in short answer form.
A. Prior to beginning this study I knew the following about the book of Leviticus..
B. After completing this study on the book of Leviticus, I now know ….