Leviticus Overview + Outline
Leviticus is a book where most people get stuck in their reading plan. It's law after law, ceremony after ceremony, and feast after feast. However, understanding the overarching theme of this book will put any boredom to rest. Instead, Leviticus should stir our hearts to worship Christ for His sacrifice on the Cross!
Let's jump right into the thick of it!
WHAT TYPE OF BOOK IS THIS? (LAW, HISTORY, POETRY, WISDOM, GOSPEL, EPISTLE, OR PROPHECY)?
In Leviticus 11:45, the Lord says, "'For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.'" The Lord faithfully brought Israel out of Egypt as He promised. Ultimately, God called Israel to be holy or set apart, to mirror the real God instead of the idols of other nations. The way Israel could pursue holiness was by upholding God's law.
While portions of the Pentateuch include narratives, scholars often categorize the majority as law literature. This genre is mainly in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, though it consists of a few chapters in Exodus (Exod. 20–23) and Numbers (Num. 5–6, 15, and 28–30). If it's talking about specific laws regarding weird things like leprous disease or unsolved murders, you can safely bet it's a book in the law category!
While law literature has its own genre of Scripture, there are different distinctions about the types of laws Israel received from God. Scholars typically categorize Old Testament law into ceremonial, civil, and moral categories.
Ceremonial law required Israel to worship God in a particular way that differed from their Gentile neighbors. For instance, Leviticus 11:1-8 declared that Israel could eat almost anything with a parted hoof (cloven-footed) or chewed the cud. But this law makes an exception for camels, rock badgers, hares, and pigs, which were unclean. Likewise, in Leviticus 11:9-12, God permitted Israel to eat any fish with fins or scales. This law meant they couldn't include crab, lobster, or shellfish in their diet.
In addition to ceremonial laws, God also gave Israel civil laws. These were rules that resolved disputes between individuals like our modern-day justice system. For example, Exodus 21:15 called Israel to put a child to death who hit their father or mother. Thieves who stole from their neighbor had to return the stolen property with an additional fifth of the overall value. Then, they would have a priest sacrifice an unblemished ram for a guilt offering, according to Leviticus 6:1-7. Deuteronomy 21:1-9 outlined how to atone for an unsolved murder, which required the Levite priests of the nearest town would sacrifice a heifer.
Lastly, moral law exposed the heart of one's actions. The Ten Commandments, for example, were part of Mosaic law. However, the principle of these laws still applies to believers today, for they come from the character of God! These commandments deal with loving God and loving people, which Jesus declared as the greatest law in Matthew 22:36–40.
WHO WROTE THIS BOOK? WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE AUTHOR?
The last verse of Leviticus clarifies who the author is: Moses! Leviticus 27:34 says, "These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai." John McArthur notes, "The fact that God gave these laws to Moses (cf. 1:1) appears fifty-six times in Leviticus' twenty-seven chapters."[1] Safe to say when Scripture says it, Moses is the author!
WHO IS THE AUDIENCE OF EXODUS? WHEN IS IT WRITTEN?
Just like in Genesis and Exodus, the immediate audience of Leviticus was Israel. Even more specifically, the Hebrews God saved from Egypt. After the Exodus in 1445 BC, one full year later, the Tabernacle was finished. This point in history is likely where Leviticus picks up the record, specifically in the first month of the second year after the Exodus. (This time occurred in the Hebrew month of Abib/Nisan.)
WHAT IS THE SETTING AND LOCATION OF THIS BOOK?
The Israelites are still at the bottom of Mount Sinai, where God initially gave them His Law. (Leviticus 25:1, 26:46, and 27:34 confirm this.) So, we don't need any maps throughout this book!
HOW DOES THIS BOOK FIT INTO THE TIMELINE OF SCRIPTURE? WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE IT? WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT?
Leading up to Leviticus, the Lord created the world, chose Abraham to be His chosen instrument, and saved the Israelites from the Egyptians. Toward the end of Exodus, Israel receives all the instructions needed to set up the Tabernacle so God's presence could dwell among their presence. This institution was a foundational shift for the Israelites.
Fast forward to the end of Leviticus, we see the following four realities made true for God's people:
The presence of the Lord and His glory would reside among the people in the Tabernacle.
There was a central place for Israelites to come to worship the Lord.
God commanded Israel to perform sacrifices and feasts with such outline and detail
A high priest and priesthood would regulate the Tabernacle and sacrifices
Therefore, Leviticus outlines the sacrifice and priesthood to make Israel's ability to worship the Lord possible. After God establishes His Tabernacle, law, and priesthood, the book of Numbers showcases most of the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert.
WHAT'S THE GENERAL OUTLINE AND STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK AS A WHOLE?
Laws about sacrifices (1:1-7:38)
Laws for Non-Priests (1:1-6:7)
Burnt offerings (1:1-17)
Grain offerings (2:1-16)
Peace offerings (3:1-17)
Sin offerings (4:1-5:13)
Guilt offerings (5:14-6:7)
Laws for Priests (6:8-7:38)
Burnt offerings (6:8-13)
Grain offerings (6:14-23)
Sin offerings (6:24-30)
Trespass offerings (7:1-10)
Peace offerings (7:11-36)
Last remarks (7:37-38)
Start of the Priesthood (8:1-10:20)
Ordination of Aaron and His Sons (8:1-36)
First Sacrifices (9:1-24)
Execution of Nadab and Abihu (10:1-20)
Instructions for Uncleanness (11:1-16:34)
Unclean Animals (11:1-47)
Uncleanness from Childbirth (12:1-8)
Unclean Diseases (13:1-59)
Cleansing of Diseases (14:1-57)
Unclean Discharges (15:1-33)
Purification of the Tabernacle from Uncleanness (16:1-34)
Commands for Practical Holiness (17:1-27:34)
Sacrifice and Food (17:1-16)
Sexual Behavior (18:1-30)
Neighbor Behavior (19:1-37)
Capital Crimes (20:1-27)
Instructions for Priests (21:1-22:33)
Religious Festivals (23:1-44)
The Tabernacle (24:1-9)
Blasphemy (24:10-23)
Sabbatical and Jubilee Years (25:1-55)
Exhortation to Obey the Law: Blessings and Curses (26:1-46)
Redemption of Vows (27:1-34)
HOW DID CHRIST FULFILL LEVITICUS?
As you read through law passages, have a heart of gratitude! When Christ came as our sacrificial lamb, He fulfilled every letter of the law. For one, we can now eat bacon. (And all God's people said amen!) More importantly, we are no longer under the law but under grace through faith in Christ. (Praise the Lord!) Though God's Law pointed out man's sin, it could not justify or save. Those who believe in Christ now receive redemption from the curse of sin!
KEY VERSES IN LEVITICUS
Leviticus 11:45: "For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
Leviticus 17:11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."
Leviticus 19:2: "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."
Leviticus 20:7–8: "Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you."
KEY THEMES IN LEVITICUS
If one theme is on repeat in Leviticus, it is the theme of holiness! God clearly outlined to the Israelites how to be set apart from their surrounding nations. Leviticus 1-17 talks about how the Israelites received access to the Lord through the laws requiring offerings and sacrifices administered by priests. Chapters 18-27 highlighted how the Israelites practically would love in response such as feasts, festivals, rituals, and guidelines.
Israel had to continually offer sacrifices for the atonement of their sins until a perfect sacrifice came along: Christ Jesus. He would eventually shed His blood on the Cross, atoning for those who repent and believe in Him. As a result, believers today do not have to offer animal sacrifices, for Christ fulfilled the law. Hebrews 10:12-14 says, "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
Today, believers live holy lives in response to God's inner transformation in our hearts. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, "...but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” We also get to live out Romans 12:1, which says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Christ fulfilled the Law through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. As a result of receiving His righteousness, we can live holy, set-apart lives through the saving power of the Cross!
[1] John MacArthur, “Leviticus/Author and Date,” in The Macarthur Bible Commentary: Unleashing God's Truth, One Verse at a Time (Nelson Reference & Electronic, 2006), p. 133.