What Is the Background of the Book of Leviticus?

The events of the book of Leviticus occurred during Israel’s exodus from Egypt to Canaan in an approximately one-month period between Ex 40:17 and Nm 1:1. Exodus 40 states that God’s instructions for erecting the tabernacle in the wilderness were completed “and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (v. 34). On a larger scale the whole of Leviticus is encompassed by the narrative of the treaty between God and His people at Mount Sinai, extending from Ex 19 through Nm 10 (see David A. Dorsey, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999], 72). In this broader setting the holiness of God forms the theological basis (Ex 19–20) on which the liturgy for worship was built. Leviticus communicated to God’s people the steps necessary to ensure His presence in their midst as they set out for Canaan.

Leviticus records the historical fulfillment of commandments given by God in Ex 29 (the legislation to ordain priests) and Ex 40:1-16 (the command to ordain the tabernacle as a center of worship with its priesthood). Leviticus expands on Ex 40:17-38, which records the partial record of that fulfillment. Leviticus gave the nation of Israel a guide on how to maintain the place where God dwelt with His people and how they would be holy before Him.

As has been noted above, many portions of the Bible make sense only in light of God’s instruction in this book. The death of Christ and all that is implied and explicit in the atonement of our Lord finds its origin in the Levitical portrait of the holy God.

In some ways Leviticus can be classified as legal literature with its apodictic (prescribing) and casuistic (if . . . then) elements. Apart from the brief narrative section in chap. 10, the book presents the legislation of Israel’s manner of approach to God. Legal literature, however, may seem daunting to the average person, as seen, for example, in an attorney’s office with its volumes of technical court cases. The legal literature of Leviticus, however, involves the practical aspect of worship of the one true God.

Most contemporary believers do not think of prescriptions for the order of worship because the NT does not prescribe a specific worship form or liturgy. Compared to the freedom and spontaneity with which believers today worship the Lord, the rituals in Leviticus may seem like empty repetition. Yet in Leviticus, the priest, when properly exercising his duties, was looking for far more than just external obedience on the part of worshipers. Without a clear and sustained vision of God’s holiness, any act of worship could quickly degenerate into an irreverent routine.