I know that is not the most engaging title for a blog entry, but as Christopher and I continue our chapter by chapter reading of the Bible, we finished up the book of Exodus this week and began the book of Leviticus.  When I was pastoring at Emmanuel, I had a few folks at various points decide to start reading through the entire Bible, which is a significant decision to make.  And they would start at Genesis and cruise along pretty good - Creation, Cain & Abel, the flood, Tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.  All Sunday school stuff for the most part, although there are more details there that don't make the Sunday school curriculum (with good reason).  Then people get to Exodus.  No biggie - you saw the movie with Charlton Heston.  Then Leviticus.  Very detailed instructions on how to do various ritual sacrifices and rites.  VERY detailed.  And that was where most of my readers would sort of peeter out, they would stop coming by the office to ask questions and kind of fade away - unless I caught up with them and talked them through it, or suggested an alternative reading plan.

One scholar wrote of Leviticus "It is the first book the Jewish students study and the last book Christian students study, if they ever get there at all."  Leviticus is not very family friendly.  It tells you how to kill the bird you are going to sacrifice, what to do with the blood.  It tells you what parts to cut out of the animal and burn and what parts to eat.  And I mean it explains it in graphic detail in places.  So what place does this book have for us today?  It seems so barbaric.  I recently arrived at a website of a guy who had done linguistic work for a language group in Peru (he was not a Bible translator) - and he accused Bible translators of ruining culture and then to bolster his argument cited several verses from Leviticus and asked, "Why would people need this translated into their own language?"

Leviticus is barbaric from our standpoint.  It is gross to conceive of slaughtering animals as an act of worship.  I have never seen an animal slaughter (although I guess by virtue of my chosen profession as a missionary, that will likely end soon).  I have seen a picture once and it was incredible, the amount of blood spilling from the animal being sacrificed.  It seemed barbaric. 

BUT, for the people of Israel at the time, to receive the instruction in the book of Leviticus was revolutionary and very redemptive.  Because prior to God giving these very specific instructions, people on the earth lived in constant fear of the 'gods' never knowing what to expect next.  They felt that they had to manipulate these gods to get anything good out of life.  What's more, evil spirits animated their idols and even other people demanding random sacrifice for the smallest infraction.  If something bad happened, you wondered if you had somehow ticked off the gods.  You never knew where you stood with the gods. 

But here comes a god who says in Exodus, I want to dwell among you.  No god wanted anything to do with people it seemed.  But this God does.  And he offers things like a peace offering in Leviticus.  This God wants people to know they are at peace with him.  They don't have to wonder.  They can know.  This God spells out precisely what offering to bring in each specific instance of sin or for certain festivals.  You don't have to wonder where you stand with this God.  It is all spelled out in writing given from God to the people.  It was revolutionary!  This God promised to bless them because of an irrevocable promise he had made, not because they manipulated Him.  But because they were used to ritual, he gave them set ritual to follow.  So they could feel at peace. 

No wonder Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 4 "See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?"

God has always been about meeting people where they are and moving them toward where intended them to be.  For the ancient people of Israel, that meant a clear establishment of ritual so they would not wonder where they stood with God.  Since then, He has moved even further by replacing the temple sacrifice with Jesus Christ who stands for us as the way we know where we stand with God.  We look for Him in Leviticus - and we also marvel at how God met his ancient people with this refreshing body of ritual.  To Him be all glory.

Grace & Peace to you.