February 1, 2025
How Were God's People to Behave?
Leviticus 25-27
Ben Hopper
Big Book Idea
The way to a holy God and the way to walk with a holy God.
Key Verse | Leviticus 26:14, 16b-17a
But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments . . . I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies.
Leviticus 25-27
The Sabbath Year
1 The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. 6 The Sabbath of the land 1 25:6 That is, the Sabbath produce of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves 2 25:6 Or servants and for your hired worker and the sojourner who lives with you, 7 and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food.
The Year of Jubilee
8 You shall count seven weeks 3 25:8 Or Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. 4 25:12 Or countryside
13 In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 14 And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. 15 You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. 16 If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. 17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God.
18 Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. 19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. 20 And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ 21 I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives.
Redemption of Property
23 The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. 24 And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.
25 If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27 let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. 28 But if he does not have sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.
29 If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, he may redeem it within a year of its sale. For a full year he shall have the right of redemption. 30 If it is not redeemed within a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong in perpetuity to the buyer, throughout his generations; it shall not be released in the jubilee. 31 But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them shall be classified with the fields of the land. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the jubilee. 32 As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites may redeem at any time the houses in the cities they possess. 33 And if one of the Levites exercises his right of redemption, then the house that was sold in a city they possess shall be released in the jubilee. For the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the people of Israel. 34 But the fields of pastureland belonging to their cities may not be sold, for that is their possession forever.
Kindness for Poor Brothers
35 If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. 37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
39 If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: 40 he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. 41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are my servants, 5 25:42 Hebrew slaves whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God. 44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. 45 You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. 46 You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.
Redeeming a Poor Man
47 If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger's clan, 48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself. 50 He shall calculate with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of jubilee, and the price of his sale shall vary with the number of years. The time he was with his owner shall be rated as the time of a hired worker. 51 If there are still many years left, he shall pay proportionately for his redemption some of his sale price. 52 If there remain but a few years until the year of jubilee, he shall calculate and pay for his redemption in proportion to his years of service. 53 He shall treat him as a worker hired year by year. He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee. 55 For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. 6 25:55 Or slaves They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Blessings for Obedience
1 You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
3 If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 I will make my dwelling 7 26:11 Hebrew tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
Punishment for Disobedience
14 But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. 18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, 19 and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.
21 Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. 22 And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.
23 And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your supply 8 26:26 Hebrew staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
27 But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you. 31 And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing aromas. 32 And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
34 Then the land shall enjoy 9 26:34 Or pay for; twice in this verse; also verse 43 its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, the rest that it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it. 36 And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues. 37 They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And you shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies' lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them.
40 But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. 45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.”
46 These are the statutes and rules and laws that the LORD made between himself and the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Laws About Vows
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the valuation of persons, 3 then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels 10 27:3 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 If the person is a female, the valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 6 If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver. 7 And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the valuation for a male shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 8 And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford.
9 If the vow 11 27:9 Hebrew it is an animal that may be offered as an offering to the LORD, all of it that he gives to the LORD is holy. 10 He shall not exchange it or make a substitute for it, good for bad, or bad for good; and if he does in fact substitute one animal for another, then both it and the substitute shall be holy. 11 And if it is any unclean animal that may not be offered as an offering to the LORD, then he shall stand the animal before the priest, 12 and the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall be. 13 But if he wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation.
14 When a man dedicates his house as a holy gift to the LORD, the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. 15 And if the donor wishes to redeem his house, he shall add a fifth to the valuation price, and it shall be his.
16 If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the land that is his possession, then the valuation shall be in proportion to its seed. A homer 12 27:16 A homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he dedicates his field from the year of jubilee, the valuation shall stand, 18 but if he dedicates his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the price according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, and a deduction shall be made from the valuation. 19 And if he who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth to its valuation price, and it shall remain his. 20 But if he does not wish to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore. 21 But the field, when it is released in the jubilee, shall be a holy gift to the LORD, like a field that has been devoted. The priest shall be in possession of it. 22 If he dedicates to the LORD a field that he has bought, which is not a part of his possession, 23 then the priest shall calculate the amount of the valuation for it up to the year of jubilee, and the man shall give the valuation on that day as a holy gift to the LORD. 24 In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to whom the land belongs as a possession. 25 Every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs 13 27:25 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram shall make a shekel.
26 But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the LORD, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the LORD's. 27 And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation.
28 But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD. 29 No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction 14 27:29 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
30 Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the LORD. 33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”
34 These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.
Footnotes
[1] 25:6 That is, the Sabbath produce of the land[2] 25:6 Or servants
[3] 25:8 Or Sabbaths
[4] 25:12 Or countryside
[5] 25:42 Hebrew slaves
[6] 25:55 Or slaves
[7] 26:11 Hebrew tabernacle
[8] 26:26 Hebrew staff
[9] 26:34 Or pay for; twice in this verse; also verse 43
[10] 27:3 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[11] 27:9 Hebrew it
[12] 27:16 A homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters
[13] 27:25 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram
[14] 27:29 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
Table of Contents
Introduction to Leviticus
Timeline
Author
As with the other books of the Pentateuch, it is best to see Moses as the source and primary author of Leviticus. In Leviticus, Moses continues the story of Exodus.
Theme and Purpose
The book of Leviticus goes into deeper detail about the divine-human relationship put in place on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19–40). Leviticus assumes that Israel is sinful and impure, and it describes how to deal with sin and impurity so that the holy Lord can dwell among his people.
Problems in Understanding Leviticus
Readers may find Leviticus difficult to understand because they lack firsthand experience of the practices it describes.
Ritual vs. ethical commands. Chapters 1–16 describe various “ritual” regulations, while chs. 17–27 focus on ethical commands. Because the rituals of chs. 1–16 are unfamiliar, they are often seen as being disconnected from the ethical emphasis of the later chapters. It is more accurate, however, to see the entire book as being concerned with Israel’s being holy to the Lord.
Unclean, clean, holy. Leviticus often uses these terms differently than today. Modern readers might think of “clean” vs. “unclean” as being the same as healthy vs. unhealthy. In Leviticus, however, these words do not refer to hygiene. Rather, they describe the types of actions a person may or may not engage in, or the places he may or may not go. For example, those who are unclean may not partake of a peace offering (7:20). A modern analogy might be registering to vote: a person who is “registered” may vote, whereas a person who is not registered may not vote. The ritually “clean” person is not necessarily more righteous than one who is ritually unclean, just as a person who is registered to vote is not necessarily more righteous than a person who is not.
Even though ritual states and moral states are different, however, the ritual states in Leviticus also seem to symbolize grades of moral purity. By constantly calling the Israelites to ritual purity, the Lord was reminding them of their need for also seeking moral purity (20:24–26).
NT relevance of commands in Leviticus. What does Leviticus have to do with the church today? The sacrificial system of Leviticus has ceased for the people of God; it has been fulfilled in the coming of Christ (see Heb. 9:1–14, 24–28; 10:1–14). However, studying these laws is important because the sacrifices point to different aspects of the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice of himself.
Second, the Holiness Code (chs. 17–27) deals with sanctification, that is, how one lives in the covenant community. The NT applies to Christians the same principle stated in Leviticus 11:44, “be holy, for I am holy” (see 1 Pet. 1:16). On the other hand, several details of the Holiness Code concern more symbolic aspects of holiness that are no longer followed in the Christian era (such as laws prohibiting garments with two kinds of cloth, Lev. 19:19, or prohibiting the shaving of the edges of a beard, 21:5). Further, the NT envisions a people of God transcending national boundaries. Therefore, current civil governments need not follow the OT civil laws (such as capital punishment for adultery; 20:10), although of course all governments must pursue justice, and Leviticus may certainly help in this regard.
Key Themes
- The holy Lord is present among his people (Ex. 40:34; Lev. 1:1). They must therefore admit their sin and impurity and strive for personal holiness.
- In order to approach God, worshipers must be wholehearted in their devotion (1:1–6:7; 22:17–30).
- Those called to be spiritual leaders, such as priests, bear a heavier responsibility than the laypeople (chs. 4; 21). In addition to the outward holiness that the priests receive when they are ordained, they must maintain inward holiness (chs. 8; 9; 10; 21).
- As is seen in the Day of Atonement ritual (ch. 16), the total cleansing of sins and uncleanness happens only when the innermost part of the tabernacle is purified. Humans, by themselves, can never achieve complete purification from sin.
- Atonement is a gracious act of the Lord (17:11).
Outline
- Five Major Offerings (1:1–6:7)
- Handling of the Offerings (6:8–7:38)
- The Establishment of the Priesthood (8:1–10:20)
- The Laws on Cleanness and Uncleanness (11:1–15:33)
- The Day of Atonement Ritual (16:1–34)
- The Handling and Meaning of Blood (17:1–16)
- The Call to Holiness (18:1–22:33)
- Holy Times (23:1–25:55)
- Blessings and Curses (26:1–46)
- Vows and Dedication (27:1–34)
The Setting of Leviticus
c. 1446 B.C.
The book of Exodus finishes with Moses and Israel having constructed and assembled the tabernacle at the base of Mount Sinai. The book of Leviticus primarily records the instructions the Lord gives to Moses from the tent of meeting, but also includes narratives of a few events related to the tabernacle. (Regarding the date of the exodus, see Introduction to Exodus, and note on 1 Kings 6:1.)
Fact: Listen for the trumpet!
Listen for the trumpet! Once every 50 years, the Israelites were to observe the Year of Jubilee. They would know it was time for the special year to begin when they heard the sound of a trumpet (25:9). The Hebrew word for Jubilee is related to a term that means “ram’s horn.”
The Setting of Leviticus
c. 1446 B.C.
The book of Exodus finishes with Moses and Israel having constructed and assembled the tabernacle at the base of Mount Sinai. The book of Leviticus primarily records the instructions the Lord gives to Moses from the tent of meeting, but also includes narratives of a few events related to the tabernacle. (Regarding the date of the exodus, see Introduction to Exodus, and note on 1 Kings 6:1.)
The Hebrew Calendar
The Hebrew calendar was composed of 12 lunar months, each of which began when the thin crescent moon was first visible at sunset. They were composed of approximately 29/30 days and were built around the agricultural seasons. Apparently some of the names of the months were changed after the time of Israel’s exile in Babylon (e.g., the first month of Abib changed to Nisan; for dates of the exile, see p. 31). The months of the Hebrew calendar (left column) are compared to the corresponding months of the modern (Gregorian) calendar shown in the center column. Biblical references (in the third column) indicate references to the Hebrew calendar cited in the Bible.
*Periodically, a 13th month was added so that the lunar calendar would account for the entire solar year.
Lev. 25:1–7 The practice of allowing no organized farming in the seventh year clearly benefits the soil. It also recognizes that all produce belongs to God and that he gives it freely to his people.
The Hebrew Calendar
The Hebrew calendar was composed of 12 lunar months, each of which began when the thin crescent moon was first visible at sunset. They were composed of approximately 29/30 days and were built around the agricultural seasons. Apparently some of the names of the months were changed after the time of Israel’s exile in Babylon (e.g., the first month of Abib changed to Nisan; for dates of the exile, see p. 31). The months of the Hebrew calendar (left column) are compared to the corresponding months of the modern (Gregorian) calendar shown in the center column. Biblical references (in the third column) indicate references to the Hebrew calendar cited in the Bible.
*Periodically, a 13th month was added so that the lunar calendar would account for the entire solar year.
Lev. 25:8–12 Jubilee was a year of release and liberty (v. 10), when people were to return to their ancestral property. Israelites who had sold themselves as servants were to be released and sent home. This provided a periodic restoration of the means to earn a living for each family in an agrarian society. The jubilee did not equalize all possessions in Israel, however, since possessions such as cattle and money were not reallocated. The land was to lie fallow for two years in a row: the forty-ninth year (sabbatical year) and the fiftieth year (jubilee). This law prohibited the creation of large estates, which would have reduced many Israelites to being tenants on their ancestral land (see Isa. 5:8).
Lev. 25:13–17 The price of property must be calculated in terms of how many years have passed since the jubilee, since it is not the property itself that is being sold but the amount of crops that can be harvested before the next jubilee. Since all the Israelites eventually return to their inherited land, the act of selling agricultural land essentially means leasing it (but see vv. 29–31 for land that could be sold permanently). The instruction you shall not wrong one another (vv. 14, 17) relates to the economic oppression of the poor and needy (compare 19:33).
Lev. 25:23–24 The land is the Lord’s, and the Israelites are strangers and sojourners. They are tenants, essentially.
Lev. 25:25–28 If an Israelite is forced to sell his land, the land can be brought back to the family in one of three ways: (1) a close relative, called a kinsman-redeemer, buys it; (2) the one who sold it can buy it back; or (3) it is returned at the jubilee.
Lev. 25:35–38 Israelites are to show mercy to one another because they have received mercy from God.
Lev. 25:39–46 A poor Israelite may have sold himself to a fellow Israelite. His right to return to his house at the jubilee means he has sold just his labor, and not his status as a free Israelite.
Lev. 23:1–25:55 Holy Times. These chapters address holiness in relation to time.
Lev. 25:47–55 The sojourner is required to keep the laws of Israel while residing in the land.
Fact: Listen for the trumpet!
Listen for the trumpet! Once every 50 years, the Israelites were to observe the Year of Jubilee. They would know it was time for the special year to begin when they heard the sound of a trumpet (25:9). The Hebrew word for Jubilee is related to a term that means “ram’s horn.”
Lev. 26:1–2 Faithfulness to God and keeping the Sabbath are at the heart of Israelite law.
Lev. 26:3–13 If the Israelites are faithful to the Word of God, then they will be blessed with abundance, a visible sign of the Lord’s presence.
Lev. 26:18 Sevenfold means “fully” or “completely.”
Lev. 26:27–33 if in spite of this you will not listen. The retribution for continued rebellion includes a horrific lapse into cannibalism and the destruction of the religious centers, the cities, and the land. The Lord’s wrath is actually carried out by the people’s enemies.
Lev. 26:34–39 When the people are punished by being pushed out of the land, the land will benefit by having rest (compare 25:2–7). The verb enjoy is a personification: the land will be purified and recover its holiness.
Lev. 26:1–46 Blessings and Curses. Covenant documents include a list of consequences. Verses 1–13 display the blessings if Israel obeys the covenant; vv. 14–39 pronounce curses for disobedience.
Lev. 26:40–46 If the people repent, God will deliver them from exile and restore them to the Land of Promise. uncircumcised heart. Although the Israelites are circumcised in the flesh, their unbelieving, disobedient hearts are actually like the hearts of the pagan peoples.
Lev. 27:1–8 In Israel, a man may make a vow to the Lord, offering himself or a member of his family to serve the Lord. This pledge entails service in the sanctuary. Because non-Levites cannot serve on the temple grounds, a person may be freed from this service by making a payment to the sanctuary.
Lev. 27:9–13 One of the vows a man can make is to donate a clean animal to the sanctuary. No substitution of the animal is permitted once the animal has been donated. A person may also contribute an unclean animal. It will not be sacrificed, but the priests may sell it and use the money for the sanctuary.
Lev. 27:16–25 Dedicating land to the Lord is divided into two cases: inherited land (vv. 16–21) and purchased land (vv. 22–25). Since the land belongs to the Lord anyway, only the crops can be donated to the Lord. (In practice, this means donating them to the priests.) The rules of the jubilee year apply to these donations (vv. 17–18; see 25:15–16). If the donor does not redeem the land at jubilee, then he forfeits the land to the priesthood.
Lev. 27:26–27 The firstborn already belongs to the LORD (Ex. 13:2; 34:19–20).
Lev. 27:28–29 A devoted thing was something “set apart” or “set aside” for God’s purposes. It could not be ransomed or “redeemed for other purposes.”
Lev. 27:30–33 The tithe is already the Lord’s. This law allows the rules for ordinary vows to govern the tithes as well (see vv. 9–13).
Lev. 27:1–34 Vows and Dedication. This final chapter describes means of redemption relating to vows made to the Lord. The material appears to be an appendix to the book because it does not fit smoothly with the previous content. This does not mean the chapter was added later. It was probably placed at the end to emphasize the importance of funding the sanctuary.
Lev. 27:34 The phrase on Mount Sinai appeared in 25:1 and 26:46, giving the impression that just chs. 25–27 were spoken on Mount Sinai. But the range of meaning of commandments probably includes “rules and statutes” (compare 26:14–15), which suggests that this verse refers to the entire content of Leviticus.
The Setting of Leviticus
c. 1446 B.C.
The book of Exodus finishes with Moses and Israel having constructed and assembled the tabernacle at the base of Mount Sinai. The book of Leviticus primarily records the instructions the Lord gives to Moses from the tent of meeting, but also includes narratives of a few events related to the tabernacle. (Regarding the date of the exodus, see Introduction to Exodus, and note on 1 Kings 6:1.)
Introduction to Leviticus
Timeline
Author
As with the other books of the Pentateuch, it is best to see Moses as the source and primary author of Leviticus. In Leviticus, Moses continues the story of Exodus.
Theme and Purpose
The book of Leviticus goes into deeper detail about the divine-human relationship put in place on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19–40). Leviticus assumes that Israel is sinful and impure, and it describes how to deal with sin and impurity so that the holy Lord can dwell among his people.
Problems in Understanding Leviticus
Readers may find Leviticus difficult to understand because they lack firsthand experience of the practices it describes.
Ritual vs. ethical commands. Chapters 1–16 describe various “ritual” regulations, while chs. 17–27 focus on ethical commands. Because the rituals of chs. 1–16 are unfamiliar, they are often seen as being disconnected from the ethical emphasis of the later chapters. It is more accurate, however, to see the entire book as being concerned with Israel’s being holy to the Lord.
Unclean, clean, holy. Leviticus often uses these terms differently than today. Modern readers might think of “clean” vs. “unclean” as being the same as healthy vs. unhealthy. In Leviticus, however, these words do not refer to hygiene. Rather, they describe the types of actions a person may or may not engage in, or the places he may or may not go. For example, those who are unclean may not partake of a peace offering (7:20). A modern analogy might be registering to vote: a person who is “registered” may vote, whereas a person who is not registered may not vote. The ritually “clean” person is not necessarily more righteous than one who is ritually unclean, just as a person who is registered to vote is not necessarily more righteous than a person who is not.
Even though ritual states and moral states are different, however, the ritual states in Leviticus also seem to symbolize grades of moral purity. By constantly calling the Israelites to ritual purity, the Lord was reminding them of their need for also seeking moral purity (20:24–26).
NT relevance of commands in Leviticus. What does Leviticus have to do with the church today? The sacrificial system of Leviticus has ceased for the people of God; it has been fulfilled in the coming of Christ (see Heb. 9:1–14, 24–28; 10:1–14). However, studying these laws is important because the sacrifices point to different aspects of the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice of himself.
Second, the Holiness Code (chs. 17–27) deals with sanctification, that is, how one lives in the covenant community. The NT applies to Christians the same principle stated in Leviticus 11:44, “be holy, for I am holy” (see 1 Pet. 1:16). On the other hand, several details of the Holiness Code concern more symbolic aspects of holiness that are no longer followed in the Christian era (such as laws prohibiting garments with two kinds of cloth, Lev. 19:19, or prohibiting the shaving of the edges of a beard, 21:5). Further, the NT envisions a people of God transcending national boundaries. Therefore, current civil governments need not follow the OT civil laws (such as capital punishment for adultery; 20:10), although of course all governments must pursue justice, and Leviticus may certainly help in this regard.
Key Themes
- The holy Lord is present among his people (Ex. 40:34; Lev. 1:1). They must therefore admit their sin and impurity and strive for personal holiness.
- In order to approach God, worshipers must be wholehearted in their devotion (1:1–6:7; 22:17–30).
- Those called to be spiritual leaders, such as priests, bear a heavier responsibility than the laypeople (chs. 4; 21). In addition to the outward holiness that the priests receive when they are ordained, they must maintain inward holiness (chs. 8; 9; 10; 21).
- As is seen in the Day of Atonement ritual (ch. 16), the total cleansing of sins and uncleanness happens only when the innermost part of the tabernacle is purified. Humans, by themselves, can never achieve complete purification from sin.
- Atonement is a gracious act of the Lord (17:11).
Outline
- Five Major Offerings (1:1–6:7)
- Handling of the Offerings (6:8–7:38)
- The Establishment of the Priesthood (8:1–10:20)
- The Laws on Cleanness and Uncleanness (11:1–15:33)
- The Day of Atonement Ritual (16:1–34)
- The Handling and Meaning of Blood (17:1–16)
- The Call to Holiness (18:1–22:33)
- Holy Times (23:1–25:55)
- Blessings and Curses (26:1–46)
- Vows and Dedication (27:1–34)
The Setting of Leviticus
c. 1446 B.C.
The book of Exodus finishes with Moses and Israel having constructed and assembled the tabernacle at the base of Mount Sinai. The book of Leviticus primarily records the instructions the Lord gives to Moses from the tent of meeting, but also includes narratives of a few events related to the tabernacle. (Regarding the date of the exodus, see Introduction to Exodus, and note on 1 Kings 6:1.)
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Leviticus 25-27
Have you ever noticed that the more time you spend with someone and the more you grow to love them, the more your ways start to model theirs? This is the type of relationship that God desires with His people. In the closing chapters of Leviticus, God describes further His covenant with His people and calls them to live like people who love Him and embody His holiness.
God tells Moses that their lives, resources, and commitments all belong to Him. We see this in His explanation of the Year of Jubilee. God declares that "the land is mine" (Leviticus 25:23) and the Israelites are "my servants" (Leviticus 25:55). These reminders are refreshing to me, as I can be tempted to forget that everything in this world is already His, and He knows how best to take care of it.
In Leviticus 26, we see how obedience to God, the rightful owner of our possessions, brings blessings (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). Trusting in His promises and ownership frees the Israelites (and us today) from the need to control, allowing them to rest in God's care. As the Israelites (and we) walk in His ways, we see that obedience is not just about following rules, but about reflecting God's holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Did you notice the consequences that God lists for disobedience? On the surface, they may seem harsh, but they highlight God's holiness! It is a warning for the Israelites not to turn away from Him, and it reminds me that He cares about how we live. Let's take note of these consequences and see if any of them come to pass as we journey through the rest of the Bible.
I'm also reminded that, for those of us in Christ, we live under a new covenant. Jesus fulfills the law perfectly on our behalf and embodies the ultimate Jubilee. He offers us freedom from sin and the restoration of our relationship with God (Luke 4:18-19). We are empowered by His Spirit to live out these commands in love and truth. Thank you, Jesus!
This month's memory verse
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
– Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Discussion Questions
1. Do I believe that my possessions (my home, finances, time, and even my body) truly belong to God?
2. Do I trust God enough to rest in His provision (like the Sabbath Year or Year of Jubilee), or am I striving to control my circumstances?
3. Am I living in the freedom Christ has given me, or am I allowing disobedience to lead me into spiritual bondage?
4. How does Jesus' sacrifice inspire me to live a life of obedience and trust? How can I show His love and holiness this week?
5. Through these chapters, we learn that God is holy and just, requiring our wholehearted obedience. He is not interested in external actions only but in the condition of our hearts (Micah 6:8). Is my heart aligned with God's will, or are there areas in which I have been merely going through the motions?