Where it fits

Leviticus is the third book of the Bible, with 27 chapters. It picks up where Exodus ends. The tabernacle has just been finished, and from it God now speaks to Moses (1:1). It is set at Mount Sinai and has very little story. Its name comes from the Levites, the tribe that served in the tabernacle. Tradition credits Moses as the author. Read straight through, it takes about two hours.

What's in it and why

After the golden calf, Israel needs to know how to live near a holy God. Leviticus answers: through sacrifice, priesthood, and a way of life. Chapters 1 to 7 describe the main offerings (burnt, grain, peace, sin, and guilt), each with its own purpose, such as thanksgiving, fellowship, or restoring what was broken. Chapters 8 to 10 describe the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, and the tragedy of Nadab and Abihu, who offer unauthorized fire and die (10:1–3).

Chapters 11 to 15 deal with clean and unclean, covering foods, childbirth, skin diseases, and bodily discharges. Chapter 16 describes the Day of Atonement, the yearly ritual in which the high priest enters the most holy place and a goat carries the people's sins into the wilderness. Chapters 17 to 27, often called the Holiness Code, apply holiness to everyday life: honesty in business, justice in court, care for the poor and the foreigner, sexual faithfulness, and the Sabbath and Jubilee years. They close with blessings and warnings (26). The refrain throughout is to be holy, because God is holy (11:44; 19:2).

Three ideas to hold on to

1. Sin is serious, and God provides a way back. The offerings teach that sin costs something, and that God himself gives a way to be forgiven. The life is in the blood, and God gave it on the altar to make atonement (17:11).
2. Holiness means being set apart for God. Israel is to be different from the nations around them, not only in worship but in how they treat people (19:9–18, 33–34).
3. God wants to be near his people. The book's warnings end with a promise: “I will walk among you, and will be your God” (26:12).

Passages people ask about

• Leviticus 1–7. The offerings. Ask what each one is for rather than memorizing details.
• Leviticus 10:1–3. Nadab and Abihu, a sobering story of how seriously God's presence is to be taken.
• Leviticus 16. The Day of Atonement, including the scapegoat.
• Leviticus 18 and 20. Laws on sexual conduct, including same-sex relations (18:22; 20:13). Christians differ on how Old Testament law applies today. It is worth reading these chapters in the setting of the whole law, which also covers diet, clothing, and farming, together with the New Testament's teaching on the law (Acts 15; Romans 13:8–10).
• Leviticus 19. The heart of the Holiness Code, including love for your neighbor as yourself (19:18) and the same love for the foreigner (19:34).

How it points to Jesus

Hebrews says the sacrifices and priests in Leviticus were “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1), and shows how Jesus fulfills them: he is the high priest who enters heaven itself, and the sacrifice that never needs repeating (Hebrews 9:11–14; 10:10–14). Jesus called Leviticus 19:18 the second great commandment (Mark 12:31). And when he touched a man with a skin disease, the uncleanness didn't pass to Jesus. Jesus made the man clean (Mark 1:40–42).

A common misunderstanding

Leviticus is often treated as a rulebook of odd regulations, and the place where Bible reading plans stall. It is less a rulebook than a manual for living near God. Every chapter answers one question: how can a holy God live among imperfect people without destroying them? The answer is provision, not punishment: a way to be cleansed and forgiven, and a people shaped to reflect God's character.