Leviticus follows directly on from the end of the book of Exodus. It carries on the story of the giving of the law of the Lord to the people that began to be revealed in Exodus, and describes how the religious and daily lives of the people should be governed once they reach the promised land.

Its English name, Leviticus, comes from the Greek Old Testament, where it was called ‘Leuitikon’ meaning ‘relating to the Levites’. The Levites were the tribe appointed as priests by the Lord, so much of the book of Leviticus contains instructions to the priests about how to carry out their duties.

But the Levitical priests were not the only ones who could find wisdom in the book of Leviticus. There are many instructions and regulations in the book that related to the ordinary people, explaining when they should go to the sanctuary and what they should bring, and showing them what to expect from the priests when they went.

More than that, Leviticus contains many, many passages which are the word of the Lord as spoken to Moses, directly recorded for us to read today. This is not somebody writing about God, but God himself revealing his wishes, his commands and, through them, his character.

Leviticus can be a difficult read. We might consider skipping over it in favour of some other favourite books or passages, but if we do, we lose the opportunity to read pages and pages of the very word of the Lord. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and our guide as we delve into Leviticus.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH