Each year, many Christians set out with the excellent goal of reading through their Bibles in a year. Some books are easy for us to handle. But others make us scratch our heads wandering what in the world we are supposed to glean from them. Leviticus can be one of these head-scratching books. So how do we make sense of Leviticus?

The Bible Knowledge Commentary informs us that Leviticus was the first book studied by Jewish children.¹ This ought to be encouraging for us because it means that this book is not as hard to understand as we may think. Duane F. Lindsey argues for a dual theme that then creates the structure of the book. This dual theme is, according to Lindsey, “the Israelite believer’s worship and walk before the holy God.” ² He goes on to note that chapters 1-16 give instructions for the people and the priests on worship, and chapters 17-27 focus on the daily walk of life.³

The Reformation Heritage Study Bible describes Leviticus this way: “Exodus shows God bringing forth a redeemed people. Leviticus shows Him making a holy people. Two great themes dominate the book: atonement (mentioned 43 times) and holiness (77 times). These cannot be separated. In atonement, our guilt is covered and wiped clean; with holiness, we are separated to God and made clean. Atonement is made by offering sacrifices and the intercession of priests, both of which point to the Messiah to come. Holiness is effected by our contact with God, the work of His Spirit within, and our walk in light of His laws—this makes us consecrated to God (Ps. 4:3).”⁴

When we understand the primary purpose and subject of a book, we are better quipped to understand it. One observation I want to share from my reading so far (only 3 chapters in) is this: God is deeply concerned with how He is approached and worshipped. The same degree of strictness in worship applies to the priests and the people. The difference comes in the fact that the priests had the additional responsibility of being good examples to the people. But the standard for both was the same.

As you read through Leviticus, ask yourself the following questions to help apply what you read to your life.

• What is the timeless principle found in this text?

• How does this text speak to my own approach to worship or life?

• Where is the Holy Spirit convicting me about worship or daily life?

¹ Lindsey, F. Duane. 1985. “Leviticus.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, 1:163. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

² Ibid. 1:164.

³ Ibid.