The Levites, Priest and their sacrifice. Holiness, a new thing.
How to read Leviticus: • Ask: – What was God doing? – Why was He doing it? – How can we apply that principle today?
Levites, the sacrifice and Holiness Gen 19 1 Peter 2:9-10 • “But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
Levites, the sacrifice and Holiness Issues:
• Sin and its consequences – Cleansing. • Be Holy - 19:2 • Bigger principles and bigger things of who God is. • To be set apart for intimacy.
• Personal Holiness. Lev. 17 • Holiness in the family Lev 18 • Holiness in social relations. Lev 1920 • Holiness in the priesthood Lev 21-22 • Holy season Lev. 23-24 • Holiness on the land Lev 25 • Blessing of Obedience in living Holy or faithful. Lev. 26
What was God’s desire? • To give them purpose and meaning • To transform them into a: kingdom of priest and a holy nation. Ex 19:6 - 1 Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
• The assembly and dedication of the tabernacle. • Where did it start? – Passover – last days in Egypt.
What was this sacrificial system?
Cutting the Lamb. Sin offering for you and your family. It needed to be a pure sacrifice Chosen from the herd: Not just any animal! – – – – –
The best sheep/Goat Clean First born – male. Without blemish or defect. Lay hands on it and confess or • “transfer the sin”. The Substitution.
- Offered to a priest on your behalf. Presented to a HOLY priest who washed everything. ( who had to be purified too.) Holiness worship - living = Happiness! •
Show cutting of the Lamb.
The Scapegoat
The Substitution…
Isaiah = a "suffering servant" of God. Hunt had the picture framed with the quotations - "Surely he hath borne our Grief's and carried our Sorrows; Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of GOD and afflicted." (Isaiah 53:4) "And the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a Land not inhabited." (Leviticus 16:22) - Jn. 1:29. “bears away sin..”
The Substitution… The sacrifices or offerings = Heb."qorbanot“ (see side sheet for details) • Olah: • Zebach Sh'lamim: • Chatat: • Asham: • Food and Drink • Parah Adumah: (Mikveh …is a holy bath.)
Burnt Offering Peace Offering Sin Offering Guilt Offering Offerings The Red Heifer
Holiness… • HOLINESS is a moral quality (attribute) of the Godhead, or more properly is an attribute of love: Le. 11:44-45; Is. 6:3; 1 Pe. 1:15-16; Re. 4:8. • - Zec. 13:9 “And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.”asv
• Mal. 3:3 show Winkie clip.
Holiness… • To be Set apart – Consecration • To be without stain/ blemish/sin What was the problem of the Day? • SIN, Being unclean. • Mixing with pagan cultures. • Try to convey true holiness to the
heathen mind.
(An orange)
Holiness… • To be Set apart – Consecration • To be without stain/ blemish/sin Holiness is not something one has, but something one is. "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (Le. 11:44; 1 Pe. 1:16) Is this meaning perfection? It is plainly a description of God's manner of living, with a ‘strong caution’ to man to follow in the ways of his Creator. Holiness is love being perfectly lived out. Holiness is living up to the understanding of truth you have.
“How little people know, they think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible.” C.S. Lewis,
“True holiness consists in doing God's will with a smile” Mother Teresa of Calcutta
The Place is to be holy.
The Tabernacle = ’to Dwell’ • For the first time God choose to come down and live with “DWELL” with His people.
The Tabernacle = ’to Dwell’
What did God Give? The Tabernacle A Portable sanctuary where God’s dwells, (much more personal).
It was His. It represented His presents among His people. Located in the exactly in the center of the tribes. It was with them in all of there time at Mt. Sinai Now that have a place to perform the sacrifices. Restore them back to
The Courtyard
The Ark of the Covenant
Altar of Incense
The Table of Shewbread
The Golden Lampstand
The Bronze Altar
The Laver
The Tabernacle Chamber
The Tabernacle = ’to Dwell’ What were the meanings of the objects and the rituals found in the tabernacle? A figure of things to come.
The Tabernacle = ’to Dwell’ The place that carried out the sacrificial system given by God. Who did this?
Levites & Priests
The Priest is to be holy.
Duties of Priests • To ensure correct presentation of sacrifices and offerings. • The first was to minister in the sanctuary, which at this time was the tabernacle, but when Israel became a settled nation it would be the temple.
Duties of Priests
• Secondly, priests were responsible for teaching the people the law of God, and • Thirdly, when God's will was sought for the nation, it was the priests who prayed for guidance.
Priestly Robe
Ephod
Duties of Levites
• Tearing Down / Carrying / Setting up the Tabernacle. • Slaughtering of animals for sacrifices. • Their duties fell under three main headings. (Service, Teaching, and Prayer)
Duties of Levites
• Their main duty: • to show people what the law was and who God was.
Duties of Levites The Holy Bath in a ‘Mikveh’ Full immersion in water is required to regain ritual purity.
Duties of Levites The Holy Bath in "living water," .
Duties of Levites The Holy Bath.
Holy Underwear? Clean or unclean!
Holiness… • “to the degree that you are
open to sin… is the degree of holiness in your life.” J.Walker.
Man and his desire to worship. Review.
• Man is a religious being created to worship. • Man takes on the moral character of the god or god’s he worships. • So does the Nation. – A corrupt way of living. – A change of the way they think.
Christian vs. Pagan view of man. Gods view • All mankind is equal • His value comes from his being in the image of God. - Man is superior to the state state - Develops responsibility.
Pagan Idea -Natural inequality - Value comes in what he does. - Man serves the - Slavery and dependency.
Man and his desire to worship. • There were no means within the reach of human power or wisdom by which man could free himself of the evil of idolatry. • God can only redeem man by bringing judgments on false gods and by revealing His nature
What were you thinking!!! • How could Gods view of Holiness be conveyed to the Hebrew mind? o There was nothing to compare it to! o God had to use the mind and the senses. o He use comparisons. o The word Holiness appears 73 times. o A real HATRED for sin. o What does sin deserve? o Value and consequences.
Be Holy….. and stay Holy. • “The
amount of opposition which any being feels towards sin is in proportion to the holiness of that being”. J.Walker
Gods view. • The Highest degree of penalty. • The consequences of sin is death! • His Justice, but what about the mercy? • A pardon was available and did not leave the sinner in their misery.
Gods view. Sacrifice shows sin in COSTLY.
. y l t s o C
Gods wants us to be holy in every area of our lives.. Cleanliness in next to godliness? Purity. ( F.D.A.) Holiness of heart, mind and body. He was wanting a real lasting purification of the people of Israel. • ‘Unclean’ = 100 times. sin very little • • • •
Gods wants us to be holy in every area of our lives.. • He was not hindering them but protecting them. – ( L.L.L) Loving Logical Limits!!!
• Giving of our very best. – “ I will not sacrifice to God something that doesn’t cost me anything.” » King David.
What did God want to accomplish? • Revelatory. God was attempting to reveal to Israel some realities about sin, justice and mercy. • Establish the idea of holiness • Uphold and honor His law. • Make clear His hatred for sin
What did God want to accomplish? • Reveal His justice and mercy, through atonement and forgiveness. • To provide a way for His people to maintain right relation with God. • Symbolic. • Preparation of what was to come.
Ritual Holiness vs Ethical Holiness See video clip
Earthly Kingdom External
Israelites
Spiritual Kingdom Internal
What did God Want… • What God was really after was the heart of His precious people. • He wants your heart too.
Conclusion: Did Jesus came to change all this? OR‌ to complete the BIGGER Picture? - We are the royal priesthood. - We can come to God in person, because the veil was ripped.
In conclusion…. • He didn't care much for the sacrifice itself but for his heart. He is looking for true repentance, faith, the heart attitude of those bringing the sacrifice. He did not want a dead external ritual but He was concerned with the state of the heart. He wanted lasting reconciliation, friendship, and intimacy. – Ps 51:16-17 • close with some help from a country sing.