At a Glance
Leviticus at a Glance
Many readers give up in Leviticus, because the book is full of offerings and rules. It is the third book of Moses, and its name comes from the tribe of Levi, which supplied Israel's priests. Yet it teaches one of the most important lessons in the Old Testament: sin is deadly, and God Himself provides the way to be forgiven.
- Author. Moses. The book opens, the LORD called unto Moses (Leviticus 1:1), and closes with the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai (Leviticus 27:34).
- Date. About 1445 BC. The tabernacle was raised on the first day of the first month of the second year (Exodus 40:17), and the book of Numbers opens on the first day of the second month (Numbers 1:1). Leviticus fits in the weeks between.
- Written To. Israel, redeemed and camped at Sinai, with special instructions for the priests.
- Setting. At the foot of Mount Sinai, beside the newly built tabernacle.
- Key Verse. the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls (Leviticus 17:11).
- Key Word or Theme. Holiness. God calls Himself holy, and He calls His people to be holy because of it (Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 19:2).
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Further reading
For Deeper Study
- Holiness to the LORD: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of LeviticusAmazon Allen P. RossA chapter-by-chapter guide for teaching Leviticus by an evangelical Old Testament scholar, careful with the text and alert to its fulfillment in Christ.
- Be Holy (Leviticus)Amazon Warren W. WiersbeA short, practical exposition of the book from a premillennial Bible teacher.
- A Commentary on the Book of LeviticusAmazon Andrew A. BonarA devotional classic by a nineteenth-century Scottish Presbyterian pastor, rich in Christ. We differ with Bonar on church and covenant questions, but his reading of the offerings is warm and worth knowing.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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How the Bible Fits Together
The Bible is sixty-six books written by about forty men over some fifteen hundred years, yet it tells one story of God's redemption from creation to the new earth, and its center is Jesus Christ.
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