What's LEVITICUS about?

Summary

The book of Leviticus is so called because the ancient priests were of the tribe of Levi, and much of the book describes the roles and duties of the priests.

The book picks up the story of the journey to the land God promised the Jews after they have received the Ten Commandments and God has decided to dwell with them in the tabernacle as described at the end of Exodus. Leviticus then describes how God presented the priestly roles to Moses, but the book was actually written over many years following the Israelites’ return from slavery in Babylon. As they rebuilt their temple and re-instituted the ritual sacrifices there, these instructions provided guidance and divine blessing for the re-establishment of the intricate details of the priestly duties that had been abandoned for seventy years and for which no one living at that time would have had personal experience. To be able to read the details of what God had told Moses a thousand years earlier would have given the priests, struggling with knowing how exactly you were supposed to do a sacrifice, assurance that God would continue to be with them and that their sacrifices were approved.

We read only ten passages over the next ten days from the second half of the book. The first reading is part of a long description of how priests are to be ordained, and the remainder are regulations about carrying out sacrifices and about personal conduct in everyday life. However the book contains much more material on how lay people are involved, how sacrifices are to be conducted, and how people are to be cleansed from uncleanness. In the gospels there are many references to uncleanness, particularly that of leprosy which we would now describe as psoriasis but was then thought to be far more serious. Showing oneself to the priests after being cleansed from leprosy was to follow the detailed instructions in Leviticus chapter 14. This is a major undertaking (there is also leprosy of a house) and is worth reading to grasp how important and intricate these rituals were.

How Leviticus is important for us

It is easy for us to dismiss the highly detailed and often obscure descriptions of rituals that seem to have no relevance today. However, we can learn from a book like this about the determination that was expected when enacting God’s will for the healing of people and their belongings and for the experience of communion with God made possible by sacrifices. It wasn’t about undergoing complex and obscure rituals, rather the rituals were intended to enable people to experience God’s generosity and care. We would do well in our time to give equal urgency and detailed planning to carry out the care we are called to express to people in difficulty and to cultivating our experience of God.