And I don't want anybody to raise their hands or to answer out loud. This is a hypothetical question or a rhetorical question. But what is your favorite book or verse in the Bible? What is your favorite book or verse in the Bible? And as a pastor, it's easy to say. It's whatever one I'm preaching through in the moment. So I could say Leviticus is my favorite. But next week in the morning, I'll say it's 1 John. No, what is your favorite book of the Bible? Many of us do have a favorite passage that we go to often, one that we think about often in times of perhaps temptation, or in times when we're in need of comfort, or just passages that speak to us about the glory of God through Christ. My guess is that not many of you would say that your favorite passage would be found in the book of Leviticus. In fact, many of us would say we are afraid of the book of Leviticus. Maybe you wouldn't say so outright, but I think in reality many Christians are afraid of the book of Leviticus. They don't know what to do with the book. We read through it quickly if we read through it at all. I somewhat joked about it this morning when we announced this but it is true that many people in their yearly read through the Bible in a year plan many times skip Leviticus. Many times they just read the words but they don't stop and think about it. They don't take the time to investigate what really is this book about. There are so many commands and instructions and descriptions that seem odd to us and we don't know how to relate to them. And so for many Christians, Leviticus is a dark book, one that is shrouded in mystery and confusion. An atheist who has a monthly blog post titled, This Month's Crazy Bible Verse. And I don't recall how I stumbled upon this atheist blog. I don't recommend reading lots of atheist blogs. But he had this monthly blog titled, This Month's Crazy Bible Verse. And he had this to say. He said, Leviticus is a great book to test on Christians. Do they agree with the rules? Do they follow these rules? Most people find these rules ridiculous, and to the credit of Christians, they don't follow or agree with most of these rules. However, too many of the same Christians who argue those rules are not to be followed in today's society, condemn things like homosexuality and point to Leviticus chapter 18. It's not okay to pick and choose which Bible verses to follow based on convenience or based on apologizing away the things you don't agree with and keep the things that you do. Is this an accurate summary of how Christians do or ought to think about Leviticus? As our society accepts and promotes not just the practice but also the institutionalizing of homosexuality, how do we understand some of the specific laws of Leviticus? How do we as Christians say that, yes, Leviticus and the Bible does condemn this practice, but then how do we understand the rest of the book? How can we say this still is binding and this is not? Others may object to the book of Leviticus because they say it's a disgusting, hateful book. It's unchristian. that my God is a God of love and there is too much blood or death and just grossness for Leviticus to be a book written by my God. That's written by someone who professes to be a Christian. That's what they have to say about the book of Leviticus. And we often don't have a way to respond or answer some of these objections. that you might by profession believe that the book of Leviticus is good and it's there for a reason, but perhaps you don't know why. Perhaps you know it's good and it's there for a reason, but you don't know for what purpose. Often we don't know how to respond because we ourselves have the same misunderstandings. One commentator points out that for the Old Testament saints, the book of Leviticus was the first book that the children were taught. that it was one that was really so important that it was one of the first things that children were taught to understand because it was so important to their daily lives. Something that was really the pinnacle of their worship to the Lord. While today it's often the last book a Christian is taught and is studied. Of course there are some reasons for this that we are in the New Covenant and so many of the practices in Leviticus are unfamiliar because we don't have sacrifices offered on a regular basis. And there is reason for that, as we will see, but because of that, things are unfamiliar. We read these things, but we've never seen them done. And so it's hard for us to understand, all right, there's these instructions, but what did this really look like? How did they do this and for what purpose? And yet the book of Leviticus, it's an important book for New Testament Christians to know and to study. It's important not just to know it because of attacks from unbelievers today, but it's important for the richness of its theology. that it does instruct us even still as New Covenant believers. The things that it teaches us about God, particularly the way it points to the person and the work of Christ. And so we do read Leviticus as New Testament saints through the lens of the New Testament, particularly through the book of Hebrews. So if I were to say who here has a favorite passage out of the book of Hebrews, I would expect that many of you would have a favorite verse out of the book of Hebrews that's more well known to us. But it is true in some sense to say that you truly can't understand the book of Hebrews without at least having some understanding of the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus is what Hebrews is built on. It's taking what is taught there and is applying it to Christ, what He has accomplished. And so it's important for us to understand Hebrews, but for many believers, the book of Hebrews is at the top of their list of favorites, but we must understand that Leviticus is the prequel to Hebrews. And what I find helpful in thinking about this book, Leviticus, is seeing why is it there? Why is the book of Leviticus there? What is its purpose? And I think once we get that understanding, once we get that big picture, once we get that framework in mind, I think that you will begin to appreciate more really the beauty of what we are taught here in this book. To see how it functions. in the whole of scripture, particularly see how it functions in these five books of Moses. And I think our appreciation will grow. So what I want us to see this evening really is the main theme, the big picture. Why is Leviticus here? And what I want us to see this evening is that the Holy God The Holy God graciously makes a way for His sinful people to come into His holy presence and for Him to dwell in their midst. That the Holy God graciously makes a way for His sinful people to come into His holy presence and for Him to dwell in their midst. How do we get that? How do we get that from these opening verses? Well, I believe it's most helpful to see the flow of the narrative up to this point, particularly considering this evening, the first two verses in light of what we have just read from Exodus chapter 40. So we've read Exodus chapter 40. Now let's read the two verses of Leviticus. Now the Lord called to Moses. and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, When any of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock, of the herd, and of the flock." If you read just these first two verses, you may be tempted to think, okay, that's interesting. How did we get here? What's the big deal? And keep moving on. But what you see in this phrase, in this first verse, what we see in this first verse are a few key phrases, particularly in verse 1, Now the Lord called to Moses. And this phrase is used in some key places in the Scriptures. And it helps us to make sense of the purpose of the book. That Leviticus does not stand alone, but is really a part of an unfolding story. I think it's helpful to see the place that Leviticus has in this unfolding story. So this phrase, and the Lord called, is the third time that Moses has been called by God. But actually it is the fourth time that this phrase has been used so far in these first five books of the Bible. And so we read in Genesis chapter 3, the first time that this phrase is used, the Lord called to the man in the garden. that they had just fallen in sin, and the Lord, as it were, is walking through the garden, and He calls to the man. He summons him to Himself. Where are you? The next time that we see the phrase is when the Lord calls to Moses from within the burning bush, in Exodus chapter 3. He calls him to commission him to lead Israel out of Egypt. The third time that we see this phrase in when the Lord now calls to Moses on Mount Sinai to announce His covenant with Israel in Exodus chapter 19. And then finally, before this event, we see Him call to Moses from within the cloud where Moses receives the instructions about the tabernacle in Exodus chapter 24. So you see this arc that is taking place, that the Lord calls to man after he first falls into sin, and then some things happen, as we'll go over in just a moment, but then the next time we see it is the Lord calls to Moses to commission him to lead his people out. And then he calls him as he makes a covenant, and then he calls him to give instructions for the tabernacle, very significant events in the life of God's people, the nation of Israel. So the Lord now, in Leviticus chapter 1, calls Moses again to reveal more fully how Israel is to live. He now calls him to tell him the ordinances concerning the totality of their daily lives in order for them to enjoy continued fellowship with him. He is now going to give them instructions. What must they do to continue to have fellowship with God? Why is this significant? Why is this significant? Well, because humanity had rebelled against God. that Adam and Eve enjoyed intimate fellowship with God in the Garden. That God would walk with them and talk with them. Think of how Adam had this fellowship without sin. An intimacy unknown even to us because of our own sin. He would walk with him. He would talk with him, free from sin. But then sin entered into the world. And what happened? Man was cast out of the holy presence of God. He was driven away from His holy presence. But of course, immediately we are given the promise of God that He would send one to crush the head of the serpent. And from there we have this story that is unfolded for us in the book of Genesis and then through Exodus. That there is this progression that God makes covenant with humanity through Abraham, then to Isaac, then to Jacob. And then the people are driven into Egypt where they prosper, but yet are under bondage. And then they cry out to God and God hears them and he sends Moses to set them free, to lead them to the promised land. And we have the power of God on display, but we see also His grace, that He is building up a people, but then drawing a people to Himself. We see His covenant faithfulness. He is blessing His people, His own possession, and He is bringing them to the promised land. But He's bringing them to this promised land, not just so they can enjoy freedom for its own sake, not just so they can enjoy the good food that was there, but He's bringing them to the promised land where He is going to dwell with them. That He is going to be their God, who is going to live in the midst of them. He is fulfilling His promise, and He's going to be the God of Israel. And so we have the latter portion of Exodus where we've read just a portion of. We have really the capstone of Exodus there where they are given the law, yes, but they're given also the instructions for the tabernacle. That the tabernacle was going to be the dwelling place of God, where He was going to dwell in their midst. And perhaps that might seem like a small thing. Perhaps you might think, well, that's a nice tent. All of us have been camping. We have tents. Well, it was a tent. What's the big deal about that? I hope you've seen that the progression of this unfolding story is this was a huge deal. that since God had driven humanity out of the garden, man had not had a fellowship and a communion with God until this point. That God was once again going to dwell in the midst of people. In this case, His chosen people, Israel. So if you study the tabernacle, you'll notice that it reminds us of the garden. That if you think about the tabernacle, you ought to think about the garden. That where man had first had this fellowship with God, but had been lost, is now being restored. And this was one step toward restoration. But what we see at the end of Exodus is there is actually a problem. They've constructed the tabernacle, and you notice again and again this repetition, Moses obeyed. He did what God commanded. He did what God commanded. Very important, as we'll see in our study through Leviticus. But there is this problem in verse 34. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. That's a great thing. God now is saying, yes, you have obeyed me. I will descend and I will give my special presence in this tabernacle. But notice verse 35, and Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting because the cloud rested above it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. But the Lord had done what He had promised to do and He was now dwelling in the tabernacle. But now it becomes apparent the Lord is holy and His glory is too much. Now Moses cannot enter into the tabernacle because God's holy presence is there. that the glory clouds dwelling upon the tabernacle, the holy of holies, while it is a climactic end to the book of Exodus, it creates this tension that requires a resolution. What's the benefit of having God's presence in this tabernacle if nobody can approach God and worship? if He is still set apart from us. How can a sinful people approach a holy God in worship? That's the question that as you read through Exodus and you come to the end, you are to be thinking. And that's why Leviticus begins as it begins. The Lord called to Moses. And he spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, that what we have in Leviticus is the beginning of this resolution. How can you approach a holy God if you are sinful? Read Leviticus, and you get the answer for the Old Testament saints. That God reveals to Moses what they must do as his people to be able to approach him. So we'll see that this problem is not resolved really until Leviticus chapter 9 when we read that Moses and Aaron were able to go into the tabernacle of meeting. And they came out and they blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. But the question is, which Leviticus answers, how can it be? How can the Lord's presence, as one commentator says, how can the Lord's presence dwell in the midst of an unclean and sinful people? Well, the divinely revealed remedy for the hope of dwelling with God is sacrifice and sanctification. And another way to phrase this, as he continues, is through reconciliation. Leviticus is about reconciliation between God and humanity through the tabernacle system. We have the tabernacle constructed. But now in Leviticus we get the things that are going to take place within and without the tabernacle. So we have the sacrifices that are instituted. We have the priesthood who are instituted and ordained. But then beyond that also we will see the holiness codes, the purity codes for God to continue to dwell in the midst of their camp. So at the beginning of Leviticus, the Lord was present among His people, but still He could not be approached, even by Moses. But there we have in Leviticus the gradual reducing of this gap between the sacred and the profane. And it is where the Lord initiates the movement. by calling Moses and revealing to him the way of reproach, namely through sacrifice of priesthood and then through the work of the priests in their service. So that's what we see really already in the book of Leviticus. We see already from verse 1, we see some profound truth even for our own lives. First I want you to see, what does it take for us to come near to God? What does it always take for a sinful people to be able to come into the presence of a holy God? It always takes God initiating that work. It always takes God calling and making a way for a sinful people to approach Him. He is holy. He is a God of perfect majesty and glory. And what are we in comparison? We are sinful. But if we were to presume to enter into the holy presence of a holy God, still in our sins, we would be like what we'll see in Leviticus chapter 10. We will be consumed. We will be consumed in His holiness. because of our sinfulness. We cannot bridge the gap between us and Him unless He first acts. And this is true both in our redemption as well as in our worship. And we see this very plainly and simply in the pattern that it is God who calls. We see in the instances of this particular phrase, He calls to Adam, He calls to Moses, but we see also He calls Abraham out of his home country to follow Him. It is God who calls. It is God who acts first to save His people, but it carries over also that it must be God who calls us into His presence. We cannot approach Him in our own strength. In fact, When we are in our sinfulness, we don't want to approach a holy God. In fact, the people, they hear the voice of God and they say to Moses, no, we don't want to be close to Him. You go up for us. This is too much for us. You go up, we will go down. But we see that God acts and He makes a way for Himself to dwell in their midst. And the truth is that things, really in that sense, are not really any different today, are they? We might think that in the Old Testament we have these manifestations of God's glory, and that was in the Old Testament. And if we're not careful, we might think that God somehow is less holy today, that He is less a God to be feared today. But of course, that is not what we read in the New Testament. We cannot approach a holy God in ourselves because of our sin. He must initiate. He must do something. Of course, we must be cleansed of our sins, but even in worship, He must call us. This truth is reflected simply in our own order of worship, that we begin the worship of God with a call of worship. It must be God who calls us into His presence. God summons us into His presence, and we respond to that. We respond to it with praise, we respond to it with confession of sin, all of those things, but it must first be God who calls us into His presence. We do not presume to do it in our own strength or merit, but only through the way that He has made through His Son, Jesus Christ. The other thing that we marvel at in these first verses is the fact that God does this at all. Why does God call sinful people into His presence? And in some sense, we can't answer that question. Why? We don't know. It's not because we deserve to be. It's not because we are so special. It's because of God's grace. Because He, in His mercy, His grace, has promised to dwell in the midst of His people. And really, in a certain sense, it's because He desires to have a people for Himself. He doesn't need us. He doesn't owe us anything. But for His own glory, He has long promised to make a way for us to come back to Him. We'll see more of that in the future. But first, I want us to spend just a few moments to consider a few thoughts to help us as we begin this study. We've seen these verse two verses, but I want us to consider just a few questions that are often considered. That maybe you have asked these questions yourself, or maybe you haven't, but I found that having some of these questions answered at the outset of the study is a great help as we approach the book of Leviticus. And the first is, why is there such great detail in the book? It's the detail that often is what is so difficult for us to get past. It seems like too much. It's hard to keep track of everything that's going on because there is so much detail. And that's often what bogs people down. It's often repetitious that you seem like you said this already, but now you're saying it in a slightly different setting. Well, the reality is there is a lot of detail. It's full of detail to the smallest degree, lots of instructions. And these come from the Lord himself. One commentator makes the point that there is no book in the whole of the Scriptures that contains more of the very words of God than Leviticus. It is God that is the direct speaker in almost every page. Of course, we believe the scriptures to be inspired. They're all breathed out by God. But here we have the words of God spoken to Moses, recorded for us in a degree unlike any other book of the Bible. There is little narrative, but lots of instruction. And the reason for this goes back to what we said before, that it is God who must initiate, but he must also be the one to direct us. He doesn't just say, all right, you are to worship me, but you guys figure it out. He doesn't do that. Israel, and you could say we as well, are surrounded by pagan nations with their own sacrifices, their own ways of worshiping, and the temptation was and has always been to try to approach God and worship God like everybody else approaches and worships their own God. But it must be God who tells us how we are to worship Him. That is why He gives such detail in His instructions. The commentator makes the point, the God of Israel gave specific instructions to the people who were covenanted to Him. They were to be different. They were to be a holy people, a set-apart people for Him and bound exclusively to Him. They were to be free from the spiritual poison that fatally infected the sacrifices of surrounding cultures. Unlike those sacrifices designed to twist the arm of reluctant deity, the sacrifices of Israel were provisions of God's grace to bestow grace. These are things that the people of Israel were not trying to get God to hear them as if He weren't ready to hear them. It's not something that they are doing to manipulate God, that they are doing because God is so mean and angry No, God is the one who gives them these sacrifices. He is the one in His grace who is making a way for them to approach Him. So their sacrifices were divinely prescribed, they were personally revealed, and therefore they were to be carefully performed. That is why there is such detail. And the detail makes sense when we remember the big picture of the book. And we've seen this somewhat already tonight, but to attach a particular verse to this, we can say that the key passage of Leviticus is summed up in Leviticus chapter 19. And that is that the children of Israel were to be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. And holiness really is a large concept. That it is something that is to affect every area of life. The kitchen, the bedroom, the boardroom, and the courtroom. No less than the sanctuary room, as one commentator puts it. So the vision of being a holy people was demanding to the extreme. So God in His grace provided them with careful guidance. Can you imagine if you were a child of Israel and you had just seen the great wonders that God had performed in Egypt? If you had seen His power on display, the way that He humbled Egypt? If you'd seen Him part the Red Sea? If you'd seen Him do these mighty things? If you were there at the foot of the mountain and you saw the glory of God? If you saw the wrath of God as He brought judgment on those ones who would worship a golden calf? And then you were told that you were to be holy because you were to dwell close to God, and God didn't tell you how to be holy? What a terror that would be. What an unkind thing that would be. You are to be holy. And then silence. In fact, it is a gracious thing that God actually prescribes for them, down to the greatest detail, how it is that they were to be set apart from the pagan nations surrounding them. And some of them, they don't make sense to us today because certain things have passed away. But in the context it makes perfect sense. That they were to be different in every area of their lives from the surrounding nations. So let's not think that these laws and rules are here for the sake of having lots of laws and rules. that God in His grace is seeking to dwell among His people, that He longed to reside at the center of their community and to enjoy this fellowship with them. And Leviticus, rightly understood, is primarily about this relationship, not just about regulation, because it speaks of how a people may be kept near to a holy God. Of course, inevitably, the people of Israel failed to live faithfully before God, and they fell short of the vision of this holiness. And so impurities and sins and faults, they crept in, and they became part and facts of life, facts that needed to be dealt with. And so we have the Lord even giving provisions to deal with sin. Provisions to deal with impurity so that they can continue to dwell in His midst. So there is a means of forgiveness and restitution. So what is the structure of the book? What is the structure of the book? Well, chapters 1 to 7, they lay out for us the various sacrifices that are going to be common for the people of Israel in that day. ones that were to be performed both at a corporate level but also by individuals. In chapters 8 to 10, we have the institution of the priest, these ones who would do the sacrifices, a very important part of it. In chapters 11 to 15, we have these clean and unclean laws for daily life. In chapter 16, the focal point of Leviticus is this day of atonement. In chapters 17 to 20 we have the holy and profane in daily life. What's the difference between being clean and being holy? Is there a difference? As we'll see there is a difference and it is an important one. In chapters 21 to 22 we have the various laws for the priests. And then really the last part of the book are various festivals, holy times, that you need sacrifices when you need a priesthood, but also there are to be occasions when you are to worship God, even beyond the weekly Sabbath. And then of course it closes with threatenings and promises. I think even just having the structure in mind has helped to us, that there are reasons that these things are there. But how does Leviticus help us read the rest of the Bible? Perhaps you've considered that, you've asked that. Well, it helps us in many ways. In fact, it was, as I mentioned before, foundational to the Old Testament community. That it was one of, if not the first thing that was taught to the children. Because how would ensuing generations know? What are they to do? How are they to dwell in this camp of Israel and to maintain fellowship with God? They needed to know these laws and also the sacrifices. They needed to know how they were to worship God. And many of the prophets, as you read through the prophets, many of the prophets assume a thorough knowledge of the Pentateuch as a whole, Deuteronomy particularly, but also Leviticus. If you want to have a greater understanding of what the prophets are speaking to Israel about, it's helpful to have a thorough knowledge of the book of Leviticus, because they assume that you know what is spoken of there. This book teaches us again about holiness, that God is holy and we by nature are not, so how do we approach a holy God? It teaches us about covenants, about how it is we are redeemed, that we are called to live for God. It teaches us about threats of apostasy and provisions for sin. It teaches us about types, as we will see. That the things in the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the priests themselves, were all pointing forward to a future reality. That the Father in heaven has condescended to teach His children, as Calvin puts it, by most expressed pictures. And even in this, much of His love appears. Which is why the writer of Hebrews says, For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with these same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. The book of Leviticus is not an end of itself. But the people of Israel were not to trust that these animals were actually taking away their sin as if they were able to atone for sin outright. As we read, these things were symbols. that they were to trust in the grace of God who had provided them. But even through these things, they were to be pointed forward to a future reality. That God intended them to do these things with faith, not just by rote or by habit, but it was a spiritual lesson. They were to circumcise their hearts, but they were images of spiritual realities, pointing forward to things to come. Ultimately, as we study Leviticus, I want it to point us forward to the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're going to see that right from the outset. Next week, we'll consider the burnt offering, and we will see the glory of Christ as he fulfills the burnt offering. So I encourage you to return to this study in the weeks to come. We're going to see how this entire book is pointing us forward to the person and work of Christ. That He is the perfect sacrifice. He is the perfect priest. And you go to the book of Hebrews and that is what the author of Hebrews again and again says. These animals point you to Christ. They had to redo them again and again because of their own sin. Well, Christ is perfect. And he laid down not a sacrifice of animals, but he gave his own life because it took the life of this one. And he is the one who truly and finally brings us into the presence of a holy God. That's what we see there in Hebrews 10. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and a living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. we'll see that what the high priest once a year was able to do to go into the Holy of Holies for a short time, we are able to do by faith on a regular basis, week by week, because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. It is through Christ that the theme, the history of God making a way for sinful humanity to dwell with Him is fulfilled. In Leviticus chapter 26 we read these words. We have there a list of promised blessings to those who would obey the Lord. And they culminate with this blessing, I will set my tabernacle among you and my soul will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God and you shall be my people. While the people of God in the Old Testament ultimately failed in their covenant obligations, the Lord again promised to send His Son, who would not fail. And so the Son, who took flesh to Himself, tabernacled among us. He dwelt among humanity. And He, in fact, walked among His people. And He accomplished their redemption, and He even now leads us, His people, into worship by faith in the very presence of God. And so this ought to remind us of Genesis, this language of walking, where God dwelt in intimate communion. But it also ought to point us forward to heaven. when this will be fully realized. As you turn to the last chapter of your Bibles there in Revelation, right there there is going to be a new garden where we are going to be face to face with God in intimate communion and fellowship with Him. But even now we are called the tabernacle of God, we are indwelt by the Spirit and we come specially into His presence every Lord's Day as He calls us to worship Him. And though not as an elaborate or as visual, our worship here today is as real. And in some sense, is more direct and more intimate than even the Old Testament saints experienced in their worship. That we come boldly to the throne of grace. And so let us thank the Lord, our holy God, that through His Son, He has graciously made a way for His sinful people to come into His holy presence and for Him to dwell in our midst. Let us pray. Our great Heavenly Father, we do thank You that You do not change, that Lord, You have for ages called sinful people to Yourself. And Lord, that you sent your Son to come into the world to live and to die, to rise again, to ascend, so as to accomplish the salvation for your people. And so Lord, we do pray that You would help us even as we study Your Word, as we begin this particular study through the book of Leviticus, that we would see the glory of Your Son. And Lord, that we would be drawn ever closer to You as we see the marvel of Your provision to overcome our sins. So Lord, we do pray that You would bind these things to our hearts, help us to remember them and to live in light of them. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.