Leviticus has been happily termed "The priests' direction book," as it contains a full and circumstantial account of all matters connected with the sacrifices, offerings, feasts, and generally of the worship and ministry of the Priests and Levites. The whole Jewish ritual was eminently typical of Christ in His glorious person, atoning work, and priesthood. Christ as the Sacrifice, as the Offerer, and as the "Great High. Priest," is evidently the burden of this precious book. The intensely interesting types of Leviticus yield a rich and inexhaustible store of Divine truth, touching the sacrificial and priestly work of the blessed Lord; but the reader would do well to study them in light of Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews and in the Divine presence, for the types can only be profitably handled in the seven-fold light of the sanctuary.
The previous book closed with "the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle;" this opens with God uttering Himself from His dwelling-"And the LORD called unto Moses and spake unto him out of the Tabernacle of the congregation saying." Hence, Grace is the marked feature of the precious communications which issued from the Tabernacle or presence of God. Jehovah is here regarded as dwelling in midst of His redeemed people, the mercy-seat or propitiatory sprinkled with blood the rest of the Divine Majesty; the golden cherub on either side the representatives of the moral guardians of His throne; the ark all covered with pure gold, containing the depository of His righteous claims upon man as graven by the finger of God on the unbroken tables of stone; with sacrifice the ground of approach, and priesthood the holy means of drawing near.
Atonement is characteristic of this book. Redemption is founded on blood-shedding (1 Peter 1:18, 1918Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18‑19)), and is treated of nationally in the Old Testament, while individually spoken of in the New Testament, hence in Genesis there could be no distinct teaching upon this momentous theme, as it had to be illustrated in a manner worthy of God, and this is the subject of Exodus where the nation is in view before Jehovah. But atonement could no more be taught in Exodus than could redemption in Genesis. The priest was needed to atone, he only of the children of Israel could bring the blood into the presence of and before the eye of God. What a magnificent unfolding of the great truth of atonement we have in Ex. 1619And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. (Exodus 16:19), the central portion of the book as it is the fundamental truth of all Scripture and of our book especially. In the previous book the redemption of the people was fully secured; in this the worship of the people is as truly provided for, and naturally follows the story of redemption. In the main, the great subject of the book is, God gathering the people around Himself, filling His presence chamber—the holiest of all—with the unspeakably blessed memorials of sin righteously judged and put away forever out of His sight and mind, and also to the faith of the offerer and worshipper.
GENERAL DIVISIONS.
1, The divine order of the sacrifices, and the laws regulating their observance. Ex. 1.-7.
2.-The consecration and establishment of Aaron and his sons in the Priesthood, Ex. 8.-10.
3.-Man in nature, practice, and circumstances utterly ruined and undone. Ex. 11.-15.
4.-Atonement (Ex. 16) the basis of all holiness befitting the presence of Jehovah, as also the ground of His dealing with His people from first to last. Ex. 16.-27.
NOTE.
IT may be well to note here the distinction in the terms SACRIFICE, OBLATION, and OFFERING. Sacrifice involved the shedding of blood, as of bullocks, lambs, etc.; oblation referred to the presentation of fruits, vegetables, where no blood was shed; offering is the mere general word, and could apply to either or both of the foregoing.
There were morning (3rd hour), evening (9th hour), weekly, monthly, and yearly sacrifices, besides other national festivals and feasts, all of which will be found specifically mentioned in this and the following books. The three national and compulsory feasts were the Passover (redemption), Pentecost (first fruits of the nation to God), and Tabernacles (millennial glory); in other words, REDEMPTION, LIBERTY, and GLORY,