I have found that the Book of Leviticus is often regarded as the “Cods-liver Oil” of the Bible. That is, it tastes bad but I know that it must be good for me.
So many atheists like to twist the Book of Leviticus to suit their own foul ends, but of course those of us that have STUDIED the book objectively know we can easily tie the them up in knots with our knowledge.
Christians know that according to the Bible, to be holy means to be set apart with God. Or consecrated, if you will. God entered into fellowship with Israel - setting her apart to enjoy fellowship with Him. Did God not say that Israel was meant to be: “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, with a priest is an intermediary?
This is vital because God’s covenant was that through Abraham’s descendants, “all peoples on earth will be blessed”. And this covenant MUST be honoured.
Of course a problem arises, because we learn in Exodus that Israel has become “stiff-necked” and has decided that she would rather worship a golden calf rather than worship God. This is a very evil and profane thing to do! How must God make the dirty Israeli’s clean again?
Atoning sacrifices was God’s method of purifying them, and how generous He is, if you think about it, because it allows them to fulfill their covenant calling. It was not about God’s wrath, it was about God’s mercy!
Atheists mock Leviticus because of all the laws mentioned, but lets be honest, only a fool would enter into a contract without a legally binding document! Do you own a cell phone, atheist? Does it come with a contract? Thought so!
And don’t try and side step by asking about the relevance of the dietary laws and the distinction between clean and unclean creatures. Maybe its relevance has not been fully revealed to us YET, but surely this will be revealed in heaven?
A proper study of Leviticus 11 shows how details concerning the clean and the unclean add to the overall theme of God's holy character and His call to holiness -remember that.
So, instead of seeing Leviticus as just a book of laws, it should be seen as the record of how the Lord God chooses to forgive Israel, creating for her a place of fellowship with him within which she will be blessed and become a blessing to all people.
I call on everyone to STUDY the Book of Leviticus. Just because it doesn’t taste nice doesn’t mean it is not good for you.
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