Studies In The Pentateuch Leviticus

The book of Leviticus contains the Lord's rules for sacrifices and offerings and for operation of the Tabernacle. The Lord gave these instructions to Moses when they met on mount Sinai. Moses pass all details along to the children of Israel. Leviticus contains a clear statement of the Lord's intentions towards the children of Israel. He considered them to be His people! He wanted to dwell among them, to care for them, and to be their God. In return, He wanted them to be His people, to accept His provisions, to obey Him, and to worship Him. The book of Leviticus is often difficult to understand - but that is because it contains great and wonderful, prophetic symbolism! . . . which is of extreme value to all mankind!

Reformation 21's End of Year Review of Books Preaching's Survey of Bibles and Bible Reference "Who shall ascend the mountain of the LORD?" —Psalm 24:3 In many ways, this is the fundamental question of Old Testament Israel's cult—and, indeed, of life itself. How can creatures made from dust become members of God's household "forever"? The question of ascending God's mountain to his house was likely recited by pilgrims on approaching the temple on Mount Zion during the annual festivals. This entrance liturgy runs as an undercurrent throughout the Pentateuch and is at the heart of its central book, Leviticus. Its dominating concern, as well as that of the rest of the Bible, is the way in which humanity may come to dwell with God. Israel's deepest hope was not merely a liturgical question, but a historical quest. Under the Mosaic covenant, the way opened up by God was through the Levitical cult of the tabernacle and later temple, its priesthood and rituals. The advent of Christ would open up a new and living way into the house of God—indeed, that was the goal of his taking our humanity upon himself, his suffering, his resurrection and ascension. In this stimulating volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology, Michael Morales explores the narrative context, literary structure and theology of Leviticus. He follows its dramatic movement, examines the tabernacle cult and the Day of Atonement, and tracks the development from Sinai?s tabernacle to Zion's temple—and from the earthly to the heavenly Mount Zion in the New Testament. He shows how life with God in the house of God was the original goal of the creation of the cosmos, and became the goal of redemption and the new creation. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Wenham's study on the Book of Leviticus is a contribution to The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Like its companion series on the New Testament, this commentary devotes considerable care to ahieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation.

Christophe Nihan investigates the composition history of Leviticus, considered as a separate 'book' in the Torah/Pentateuch. In order to account for the distinct nature of the text, the author combines redaction criticism with comparative observations, cross-cultural studies in rituals, and inner-biblical exegesis. His analysis focuses on the sources used by the authors of Leviticus and the way in which they are re-interpreted in what is primarily a literary composition; on the book s relationship to the so-called 'priestly' literature in the Pentateuch; and, finally, on the place of Leviticus in the composition of the Torah as a whole. In particular, it is argued that Leviticus 1-16 (except for chapter 10) was initially composed as the conclusion to the priestly narrative in Genesis and Exodus. It reinterprets earlier ritual texts serving as check-lists for priests, transforming them into a revelation made to Moses on Mt Sinai for the whole community and thereby achieving the sacerdotal ideal of Israel as the 'priestly nation' of the world. Thus, reinterpretation of earlier sources in Lev 1-16 goes hand in hand with a redefinition of the community's identity that betrays the specific concerns of the priestly scribes in Jerusalem under Persian rule, probably during the reign of Darius I. The introduction of Lev 17-26 (27), for its part, betrays an entirely distinct historical and literary context. Through the systematic reception of Deuteronomy on one hand and the 'Book of the Covenant' (Ex 21-23) on the other, an attempt is made to close the revelation on Mt Sinai with a legislation that bridges the gap between P and other biblical codes at the time of the Torah's composition."

The book of Exodus tells the story of the children of Israel as God brought them out of slavery in Egypt. He delivered them into the wilderness of Sinai, guided them through forty years of wandering, and ushered them into the Promised Land. The overriding message in Exodus is that all mankind, represented by the children of Israel, can not live this life without God's help! In Exodus, God abundantly poured His love, mercy, grace, and providence upon the children of Israel. In like manner, all mankind today can enjoy His abundance and His company in new life which He provides! Exodus is a wonderful book! It presents a wonderful picture! . . . and it leads to a wonderful outcome!

Moses reviewed every aspect of the law in Deuteronomy! In this book, Moses presented the Lord's solutions to problems the children of Israel would face! After the Lord's discipline to those who transgressed the law, He knew the people would return to Him, ask forgiveness, and ask for help! When that happened, the Lord was ready, willing, and able to come to their rescue! In Deuteronomy, we learn the Lord's desired relationship with the children of Israel. The Lord desires to have a similar relationship with each of us - today! We can learn how He treats His people today by watching how He treated His people in Moses' day! The Lord is a wonderful God! . . . and His desire is towards us! . . . that is, towards all mankind!

In this introduction to the first five books of the Old Testament, Victor Hamilton moves chapter by chapter through the Pentateuch, examining the content, structure, and theology. Hamilton surveys each major thematic unit of the Pentateuch and offers useful commentary on overarching themes and connections between Old Testament texts.

The Book of Leviticus is often perceived as one of the most mysterious and contradictory parts of the Bible. The author of this study goes through all the moral implications of the ceremonial laws in the book of Leviticus and helps to understand the book of Leviticus better.