LESSONS FROM LEVITICUS Leviticus was God’s guidebook for His newly redeemed people. It showed them how to worship Him and how to live holy lives. Careful instructions for the sacrificial system to the holy God and what He required from those who served Him were written down so that no mistakes would be made. In Leviticus, laws are given for holiness, sanctification, and service that are not open for discussion or change.
These also provide basic instructions for living as God intended. The moral and ceremonial laws together establish the framework for living in fellowship with God. Blessings come from obedience to God and His laws. Discipline results from disobedience. We are created in the image of God so we can have a personal relationship with Him; disobedience hinders that relationship.
Communion with God is the core of worship that touches our deepest being. Loneliness, despair, problems, and “the sin which doth so easily beset us” can break fellowship with God. When that happens, we need to be restored to Him, or our lives will feel incomplete. We must take His yoke upon us, learn from Him, meet with Him, submit to Him, and follow Him once again.
Leviticus offers guidelines for worshiping God in holiness and living a sanctified life in a worldly society. Reading this book reveals what God is like and helps us develop the correct attitude toward Him and proper worship. When we read Leviticus, we recognize how serious sin is in God’s eyes and the importance of addressing sin His way to obtain forgiveness.
Living a holy life today is considered unpopular. People say that those who try to follow the teachings of the Bible are intolerant and bigoted because they adhere to a fixed standard. Believers in Christ are meant to stay away from sin and dedicate themselves to God. Still, we will sin, and each time it happens, it must be addressed promptly.
God’s people had a specific place for worship, as outlined in Exodus, and they needed to understand the correct way to worship both inside and outside the Tabernacle. Worship activities must be balanced with ethical concerns in their lifestyle if they are to fulfill God’s requirements.
Being reconciled to God and entering into a personal relationship with Him is demonstrated to others through our lifestyle. Cleansing occurs first, and holiness of life follows. Sacrifices are meaningless if they aren’t supported by holy living. God’s holiness resides in His divine nature. Our holiness grows as we obey Him and nurture fellowship with Him.