HERE we have holiness and grace. We see God maintaining relationships with a people whom He has chosen and redeemed out of Egypt, and teaching them the character of worship, and of sanctification becoming them. The book begins, therefore, with God speaking to them by Moses, out of the tabernacle. He teaches them in the first three chapters the ground of acceptance, communion, and peace; and afterward shews that trespasses and sins can only be purged by sacrifice. In all these points Christ is typically set forth in the perfect spotlessness of His person and the everlasting efficacy of His work. The necessity of priesthood is also plainly and practically taught. No evil is passed over, but judged and put away. The place of uncleanness was outside, and not where God was pleased to dwell with His people. A leper, therefore (leprosy a type of sin), was compelled to be outside the camp of Israel till he had been cleansed by coming before the priest, and, being sprinkled seven times with blood, pronounced clean. They were taught in various ways to distinguish between things clean and unclean, holy and unholy.
In the feasts (chapter 23) there is intimate association with God and His people. They are in separation from all other persons, and before the Lord. The Passover commemorated their shelter from judgment in Egypt, by the blood of the Lamb. In the feast of weeks we have the sheaf that was waved before the Lord—Christ risen—"the firstfruits." After seven weeks, on the fiftieth day (Pentecost), there was the presentation of sacrifices and offerings before the Lord. At the gathering in of the harvest, the poor and stranger were remembered for blessing, which may point to blessing on the Gentiles when the harvest of the earth is completed in the gathering of Israel into their promised rest and blessing. The blowing of trumpets after this, calling the assembly together, giving rest from all servile work and offering unto the Lord, may set forth the holy joy and rejoicing that will follow their entrance into their long -told and long-expected blessing. Then too will they know and enter into the value of the atoning work of Him who died for that nation. They will celebrate the rest it has secured for them. It will be indeed "a sabbath of rest" unto them, and they will "celebrate their sabbaths," nor will they ever forget that they had been bondmen in Egypt. The feast of tabernacles, prophetic of Israel's millennial joy, was peculiarly a time of rejoicing before the Lord their God—in it they remember that they had been bondmen in Egypt. They dwell in booths seven days, that their generations might know that God made the children of Israel to dwell in booths when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
In the latter chapters of the book, we have instruction as to the redemption of the land, the land enjoying her Sabbaths, and. God's promise to remember the land, because of its connection with this earthly people who had been brought into relationship with Himself.