1. HOW TO APPROACH A HOLY GOD

2. 1) The historical setting  Israel is at the foot of Mt Sinai  Almost all legislation  All of Lev 1:1 - Num 10:10 took place in a period of 1 month and 20 days.  1 historical section—Lev 10 2) Leviticus is a book of RELATIONSHIP 1) Chapters 1-16 deal basically with Israel’s relationship with a HOLY GOD 2) Chapters 17-27 deal primarily with Israel’s relationship with EACH OTHER

3. A. Israel’s relationship with God a. Sacrificial system Leviticus 1-7: 5 different types of sacrifice 1. Burnt offering 2. Grain offering 3. Fellowship (peace) offering 4. Sin (or, purification) offering 5. Guilt (or, reparation/compensation) offering

4. b. Day of AtonementAtonement a) Purification of sanctuary  Sprinkled on the “mercy seat”  Cloud of smoke from incense (Lev 16:12-13) b) Sending away the scapegoat  Two goats were brought. Cast lots to see which would be sacrificed and which would be “sent away”. The one sacrificed purified the tabernacle, and other was sent away into the wilderness bearing the sins of the nations. c) Two burnt offerings  1 from the people and 1 from the priests.

5.  Questions:  Why the laying on of hands?  Ownership  Identification  What is the significance of the blood?  Sprinkled on the sacred objects of the tabernacle  Sprinkled against the bronze alter (Lev 1:5, 11, 15; 3:2, 8, 13; 7:2)  Unique from other ANE systems  Significance: “the life is in the blood” (17:11). The penalty of death for sin.

6. Notice that this is the one narrative passage in the book of Leviticus. 1. Who were Nadab and Abihu? = the first and second of the four sons of Aaron (cp 1 Chron 6:3) 2. What was the sin of Nadab and Abihu?  they "offered strange fire" upon the altar of the Lord  What was this “strange fire?” 1. Brought coals from a pagan altar and mixing them with the coals on the altar in the courtyard of the tabernacle? 2. They were drunk (cf. 10:9)? MAIN POINT = 10:3

7. 1. ANE worldview and purity laws 2. What is the rationale behind the clean and unclean animals? a. Hygienic: the regulations for eating certain types of animals were for health reasons. b. Paganism: Unclean animals were connected with non-Israelite religions. c. Symbolic: Animal world was structured the same as the human world. d. Summary

8. b. Economics in God’s land (Lev 25; Deut 14-15) i. Shared access i. Numb 26 ii. Josh 13-18 iii. Contrast: The Canaanite system of land ownership iv. Sum: There was equality among the people (not large gaps between rich and poor; not ‘uniformity’) ii. Responsibility to work i. Gen 2:15— “work” is a “pre-Fall” mandate ii. Laziness is condemned (Prov 12:11; 14:23; 20:13; 21:17) Abiding principle: In general, those who can work should work—to provide for their needs (and family) and for the needs of others.

9. b. Economics in God’s land (Lev 25; Deut 14-15) iii. Confronting poverty  2 types of poor  “interest-free loans” (Deut 15)  Edges of the crops not to be harvested (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; 24:19-21)  Third year tithe (Deut 14)  Selling land or yourself Abiding principle: those who had excess should give to those who don’t have the same means (old age, lack of land) to survive.

10. b. Economics in God’s land (Lev 25; Deut 14-15) iv. Controlled economic growth iv. Sabbath v. Sabbath year vi. 3 festivals vii. Jubilee Abiding principle: large gaps between the rich and poor and excessive consumerism and accumulation of wealth (without redistribution) are moral issues.

11. The New Testament  The Early Church: Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-35  Paul: “The Jerusalem collection” (2 Cor 8-9; Gal 2).  2 Cor 8:4; 9:13—the financial contribution was proof of their obedience to the gospel  “fellowship” (koinonia) often means giving money to poor believers (Rom 12:13; 15:26; 1 Tim 6:18)  Jesus:  Wealth and poverty in the gospels  Matt 25

12. SUMMARY  Biblical economics is bound up with morality and theology  God wants all His people to have enough to live on  Those who have a surplus of wealth are under divine mandate to help those struggling to survive  “ Any ‘Christian’ who takes for himself anything more than the plain necessaries of life lives in an open, habitual denial of the Lord…he has gained riches and hell-fire!” (John Wesley)