Leviticus

Written by Moses, it gives an eye-opening account of what Jesus' death on the cross truly represented for salvation. Due to human sin and impurity, God, in His infinite wisdom, considers everything about the Israelite's physical and mental health, safety, and overall well-being. This book is divided into three main sections. 1.) The Impurities of the Israelites, 2.) The Levitical Priesthood, 3.) The Execution of Rituals and Ceremonies.
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This first section addresses uncleanliness and the Israelites' responsibilities to fulfill and be reconciled unto God. The second facet of the book communicates the various roles of the Priest who served as mediators and demonstrates how well Moses, Aaron, and his sons perform The Most God's commands. The third reveals the Execution of Rituals and Ceremonies.
This segment serves as a cleansing, reminder, and commitment to the Lord. The Israelites were required to honor annual traditions that not only purified them: these celebrations acknowledged the deity of the Highest God.

Leviticus offers such an amazing perspective of how much God loves His people and how far He is willing to go to dwell in their midst. Upon reading the 27 chapters of this book, you will find that Moses strictly focuses on the logistics of serving The Highest God. There were five primary rituals and sacrifices esteemed in the Tabernacle, where the Holy presence of God abound. The Israelites were required to give two types of gifts for thanksgiving and forgiveness. They provided the Priest with Grain and Fellowship offerings to bestow unto the Lord. These sacrifices were made with the finest of flour mixed with oils, incense and presented to the Lord by fire. The aroma was pleasing unto the Highest God.

Three additional offerings were presented to the Lord as a Guilt offering to atone for sin. God received these contributions as Burnt, Purification, and Restitution Offerings. The Priest performed animal sacrifices before the Lord. Each sacrifice was measured by meticulous instruction and executed with precision for the covering of sin. Every contribution was unique to each unblemished life form. Offerings made unto the Lord were nothing new in the Bible. However, they were never collectively presented from a magnitude of people. When God received their offerings, the Israelites celebrated and bowed down in reverence to Him. I can imagine an incredible and humbling experience.

There was indeed an upset that resulted in two of Aaron's sons' death. The priests went into the Tabernacle and made an unsacred offering unto the Lord. They were immediately consumed by fire for such a careless act. Moses reminded Aaron this is what God meant when he declared: "Among those who approach Me, I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored." The Israelites were permitted to mourn the loss of these Priests as tradition allowed, but Aaron could not, else he would die.

Chapter 11 through 27, Moses dictates a list of decrees that God commanded the Israelites to follow. The scriptures assigned all creatures as both clean and unclean for food consumption. He specifically addressed the draining of blood, declaring that life is in the blood. It included creatures of the air, water, and ground-covering animals and insects---yes, insects. The book also addresses physical encounters and ailments that would cause infectious and chronic skin diseases, sores, rashes, even baldness. The book also mentions contaminants like mildew, whether inhaled, on clothes, and in homes. Priests were tasked with cleansing regulations to rid the Israelites of such impurities and restore the people to God for re-entry into the camp and ceremonial cleansing.

Most importantly, the book of Leviticus touches upon all the immorality of today. The Israelites were forbidden to partake in the rituals brought out of the land of Egypt. Their practices included worshiping false gods, idols, sorcery, mediums, and spiritism: The Most High addressed integrity and fair treatment of others. He communicated sexuality, purification requirements for men and women, forbidden relationships such as homosexuality, Beastiality, and incestual relationships. Interestingly enough, many of our moral boundaries are still honored today. According to Romans 2:15, the laws of God are written on our hearts under the New Covenant. These previous ordinances were practiced from 1445 BC through 70 AD and remained in effect until shortly after Jesus died. We are now under a new covenant relationship through Jesus Christ.

God's ordinances' specificity was very intense and revealed how blessed we are today, not having to adhere to these rituals. Praise to God for the ransom of His son Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, the Lamb of God, who died on the cross. Our sins are no longer covered by animal blood but forgiven through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. It is an immeasurable gift for those who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. To God, be the Glory for what He has done on our behalf.