Leviticus

Over the years I have had many conversations about the difficulty of reading through certain portions of the Bible. And it is true that some books are more difficult to read, interpret, and apply than others. This week Meadowview will be reading through what I consider to be one of the more difficult books in the Old Testament - Leviticus. So I thought it might be helpful to provide some insight into the book before we dive in. And since I typically run low on helpful insight I will defer to Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton's book A Survey of the Old Testament. Here is what they wrote regarding the overall purpose and message of the book:

The central teaching of the book is summarized in the command to "consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy..." (Leviticus 11:44-45). The first part of Leviticus outlines the requisite procedures for worshiping Yahweh (chaps. 1-10), and the second section prescribes how the covenant people of God are to translate the idea of holiness into daily living (chaps. 11-27). Leviticus is basically a manual or handbook on holiness designed to instruct the Hebrew community in holy worship and holy living so that they might enjoy the presence and blessing of God (cf. Leviticus 26:1-13). The laws and instructions were to transform the former Hebrew slaves into a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (cf. Exodus 19:6).

Hill & Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament, pg. 104.