Linda knew she had started to try her fathers patience when he would say playfully: “Ich werde dir die Leviten lessen!” which in German says: “I am going to read you Leviticus!” While I don’t advise any of our parents to threaten disobedient children with bible reading, it is safe to say that this is an expression that loses nothing in translation. We smile knowingly because most, if not all of us, have struggled with the part of the bible reading plan that takes us to Leviticus. In fact, it may well be the exact time of year that you are bumping into this book; my reading plan, for example, had me starting Leviticus this past Tuesday.
So, what better time to tackle the book through our Sunday morning preaching ministry! I suspect that following up Ecclesiastes and Revelation with Leviticus may seem a little, um, counter-intuitive. I get it; Leviticus is the book grinds many bible reading efforts to a halt. I wish to encourage you to embrace all of God’s Word, and I am supremely confident that we will all be pleasantly surprised by the blessing this wonderful book is. Remember the unexpected encouragement and joy from Ecclesiastes, and the practical applications found within John’s Revelation?
In fact, I dare say Leviticus is a very natural follow-up from Revelation. By the end of Revelation we see the wonderful picture and promise of a renewed heaven and earth, and in 21:3 specifically we read something quite remarkable:
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
Think of that. The dwelling place of God is with man. Think of all that is conveyed in one sentence: the familial relationship between God and man, his intentionality toward us, his condescension toward us, and of course the sense of comfort and security for us. How does a perfect, holy God dwell with imperfect sinful humanity? Why would he? How does the infinite dwell with and even in the finite?
Leviticus starts with a God present with his people: “The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. (Lev. 1:1)” God doesn’t merely speak to a people, he calls them to be near. Though he does speak to us, it is not from afar. Isaiah 48:16 says: “Draw near to me, hear this…” The Hebrew word we translate “draw near” is qarab, and it is a verb used frequently in Leviticus. Ironic isn’t it? A book we find on the surface to be so distancing is a book that calls us to draw near. Within its pages we will see how a holy God can dwell with his people. God has always made a way to tabernacle with his people and in Leviticus we will see not just where one worships, but most importantly how one worships.
I trust you will heed God’s call to you to “come near and hear” this Sunday as we begin our series from Leviticus.
Much love,
Pastor Gary