Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Okay, be honest. The last time you set out to read through the Bible in a year, did you just kind of skip over Leviticus? Genesis was so full of great stories about people and struggles that you could identify with. Exodus is pure adventure. The children of Israel on the run from the wicked Pharaoh with God showing up as a pillar at night and as fire by day. Manna, miracles, it was great. And then it comes to a screeching halt at Leviticus, rules, sacrifices, all kinds of instructions that make you want to say, huh? Well, welcome to Through the Bible where Dr.

J. Vernon McGee tells us that he discovered Leviticus is a thrilling book and one of the most important in the Bible. Well, I'm certainly willing to be convinced. What about you? We begin in Leviticus chapter 1 and as you would expect, if you come to the study already having read our passage for the day, you're going to get so much more out of it for sure. If you'd like a handy reading and listening bookmark for Leviticus, well, get our app or go to ttb.org where you can download it. Or we're also happy to send you the bookmark each month with our newsletter by mail.

That's how I get mine. Give us a call at 1-800-655-BIBLE to receive it or subscribe at ttb.org. Now, let's join Dr. McGee for a poem that introduces our study.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: It says, Lord Jesus, because thou didst leave thy praise and come to me that I might leave my sin and come to thee. Thou didst leave thy riches and thy throne and took my poverty to be thine own. Thou didst leave thy father's glorious home that I might forever have one of my own. From thy father's bosom, thou wast plucked apart that thy great love might fill my empty heart. And from the fountain opened in thy side, there flowed for me a blessed healing tide. And thou didst wash me from my sins in thine own blood.

Gave unto me the treasure of thy precious word. And now because thou gave your life that I might live to the most blessed one, myself I give. And that is so appropriate to end the Gospel of Mark and begin the book of Leviticus is the reason I'm using this poem.

Steve Schwetz: Let's pray as we commit this time to the Lord. Thank you, Father, for showing us the loveliness of Jesus through your precious word. As we look into the amazing book of Leviticus, help us to see him clearly. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Leviticus 1 on Through the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, today as we begin in the book of Leviticus, I want to turn back to this book and before we get into the text, I'd like to put down an introduction to Leviticus because I consider it now one of the most important books in the Bible. Many years ago, I read where Dr. Kellogg made the statement that he considered the book of Leviticus the most important book in the Bible. And I felt like he must have tongue in cheek to make a statement like that. And then I heard a great preacher in Memphis, Tennessee years ago, Dr.

Dudley say he considered the book of Leviticus the greatest book in the Bible. And then on our radio program several years ago, I made an experiment. I began teaching this book. I wanted to study it and I wanted to see if these men were accurate. And I must confess that I had misgivings as to the value of Leviticus for a popular exposition on the Bible. And may I say that I discovered that it was a thrilling book and not only that, that I now could say honestly that I consider the book of Leviticus one of the most important books of the Bible.

And if it were possible for me to get the message of this book into the hearts of everyone in Southern California that is just even religious, I could end all the cults and isms that are here or this book will certainly do just that. Now, the book of Leviticus was written by Moses. It's part of the Pentateuch. It's Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. And in Leviticus, we just don't go anywhere. We're just marking time at Mount Sinai. The book opens and concludes at this same geographical spot, Mount Sinai. And God was giving the law there and we saw at the end of the book of Exodus that God gave the instruction for the building of a tabernacle and then it was constructed and the glory of the Lord filled it.

Now, Leviticus gives the order and rules of worship in the tabernacle. It's the great book on worship. And the Hebrew word opens the book and it means and he called. God moves into the tabernacle now and he no longer speaks from Mount Sinai. He calls the people to him here at the tabernacle and he tells them how they're to come, how they're to walk before him. And this, I think, is a wonderful message for the church because the church actually the name is in the Greek and that means called out ones, those that have been called out.

And God called to the people out of the tabernacle and asked them to come to him. And the Lord Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice. This book will have a wonderful message for us today. Now, the purpose of this book is it reveals worship. It's the book of worship. And in this book, we have sacrifice, ceremony, ritual, liturgy, instructions, washings, convocations, holy days, observances, conditions, and warnings crowd this book. And all of these physical exercises were given to teach great spiritual truths. You remember Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10 11, now all these things happened under them for examples.

They were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the age has come. And then he says in 1 Corinthians 10 6, these things are our examples. And then in Romans 15 4, we read for whatsoever things were written of for time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. And Peter in his first Epistle in the first chapter verse 11 says, searching what or what manner of time the spirit of Christ, which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.

And the writer to the Hebrews says in Hebrews 11 13, these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, they were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Now, this book of Leviticus will have some wonderful instruction for us today. And this book of Leviticus reveals Christ in a most remarkable manner. Now, we've just had the Gospel of Mark and I must confess to you that there we had it in a bridged edition of the Lord Jesus. Not very much, but in the book of Leviticus, a great deal more is said about him.

Tyndale years ago in his prologue on this book of Leviticus made this statement and I'd like to read this to you because I consider this very important. He says, quote, those sacrifices and ceremonies can be no ground or foundation to build upon. That is though we can prove not with them, yet when we have once found out Christ and his mysteries, then we may borrow figures. That is to say allegories, similitudes, and examples to open Christ and the secrets of God hid in Christ even under the quick and can declare them more lively and sensibly with them than with all the words of the world.

That's a great statement by the way. And you remember the Lord Jesus said to the woman at the well, they had been going through ceremonies, they had had rituals. Now, he says, woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what. We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

And that is John 4 21 to 24. Now, the message in the book of Leviticus is actually twofold. Leviticus teaches that the weight of God is by sacrifice and the word atonement occurs 45 times. Now, atonement means to cover up. The blood of bulls and goats did not actually take away sin. It covered over until Christ came who took away our sins. And that's what Paul meant in Romans 3 25 when he says, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation. That is a mercy seat through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God.

Now, the sins that are passed were the sins back in the Old Testament. You see God never accepted the blood of bulls and goats, but he required it to be shed. It was an atonement to cover over until Christ came. In other words, God saved on credit in the Old Testament. And when Christ came to him is accurate. Jesus paid it all. As far as the past is concerned, far as the present is concerned, as far as the future is concerned. And so one of the key verses in Leviticus is Leviticus 17 11, for the life of the flesh is in the blood.

And I've given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls for it's the blood that making an atonement for your soul. And then there's another great lesson here. It not only teaches that the weight of God is by sacrifice and that without shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins, but it teaches not only the way, but teaches that the walk with God is by sanctification. And the word holiness occurs 87 times in this book. And ye shall be holy under me for I the Lord am holy and have severed you from other people that ye should be mine.

Now, God gave them strict laws governing the diet, the social life, the daily details involving every physical aspect of the lives of his people. And these laws have a greater spiritual application to his people today. And that 's the reason I think we ought to study Leviticus. You see access to God is secured for the sinner through the shed blood of Christ today. For instance, the writer to the Hebrews puts it like this. Hebrews 9 25 and 26, nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with blood of others.

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once in the end of the age hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And those that are redeemed by the blood of Christ must live a holy life if they are to enjoy and worship God. Again, the writer to the Hebrews concludes his Epistle. Hebrews 13 20 and 21. Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever.

Now, this book is a remarkable book and so much so that I 'm spending time here to get you interested if I can in a book that is about as dull to the average Christian as anything possibly could be. You don't find today very many classes or individuals or churches studying the book of Leviticus. Well, let me say this concerning it. I want to go through it briefly like this. It opens with five offerings and they are clear, crystal cut cameos of Christ. They depict his hypostatical person in depth and his death in detail. And that's in the first seven chapters.

Then in chapters 8 through 10, the consecration of the priests reveal how shallow and inadequate is our thinking of Christian consecration today. Then in chapter 11, it gives them a diet. God provided for his people a diet that was sanitary and therapeutic. And by the way, it contains much spiritual food for our souls today. And then in chapter 12, he gives attention to motherhood as a further example of God's thinking concerning womanhood. And then we have in chapters 13 through 15 the very heart of the book, the prominence given to leprosy and its treatment. And here's a book on worship.

Why all this extended section on leprosy? Those who have been given gracious insights into Scripture have found here a type of sin and it's defiling effect on man in his relationship to God. And the cleansing of the leper finds its fulfillment in the death and resurrection of Christ and a most unusual sacrifice. My friend, if you and I are to escape the defilement of sin in this world, we'll have to know a great deal about the death and resurrection of Christ and the application of it to our lives. And then in chapter 16, we have the great day of atonement.

And that's a full length portrait of the sacrifice of Christ. And then in chapter 17, we have the importance of the burnt altar in the tabernacle. And that highlights the essential characteristic of the cross of Christ today. Then in chapters 18 through 22, the emphasis in this book of instructions concerning seemingly minute details in the daily lives of God's people reveals how God intends the human family to be involved with him. God wants to get involved in your business, your family life, your social life. My friend, today we've just about shut him out of our lives, even those of us who consider ourselves fundamental.

And then in chapter 23, we have the list of feasts that furnishes a prophetic program of God's agenda for all time. And then in chapters 24 to 27 which concludes the book, we have the laws governing the land of Palestine. And that gives us an interpretation of its checkered history and an insight into its future prominence. A lot of prophecies in this book and the nation Israel and the promised land are intertwined and interwoven from here to eternity, friends. Now, you have here in these first three books of the Bible. In Genesis, we see man ruined.

In Exodus, we see man redeemed. In Leviticus, we see man worshipping God. In the book of Exodus, we see that Exodus offers pardon. Leviticus offers purity. And in Exodus, we have God's approach to man. And in Leviticus, we have man's approach to God. In Exodus, Christ is savior. In Leviticus, Christ is sanctifier. In Exodus, man's guilt is prominent. And in Leviticus, man's defilement is prominent. In Exodus, God speaks out of the mount. In Leviticus, God speaks out of the tabernacle. In Exodus, man is made knight of God. In Leviticus, man is kept knight of God.

Now, this, friends, is the introduction to this wonderful book. And we have an extensive outline of it. We begin with the five offerings and the law of them. That's in the first seven chapters. They showcase to this book or these offerings and their pictures of Christ. You have the first three chapters. You have what's known as the sweet savor offerings. That speaks to the person of Christ. In chapters 4 and 5, you have the non-sweet savor offerings. That speaks to the work of Christ on the cross. The first three offerings that speak of his person are the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering.

And then in chapters 4 and 5, the non-sweet savor, the work of Christ, we have the sin offering, then the trespass offering. And we're going to see that as we move now and we'll just got our foot in the door today. We'll take that which is the first offering, the burnt offering. And I'm reading verse 1 of chapter 1 of Leviticus. And the Lord called under Moses and spoke under him out of the tabernacle of the congregation. Now, this is the oldest offering as we shall see. For God says here now in verse 2, he says to Moses, speak under the children of Israel and say under them, if any man of you bring an offering under the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock.

Now, will you look at that for just a moment? This is the oldest offering that's known to man. It was the offering of Abel. It was the offering of Noah. It was the offering of Abraham. And the brazen altar where this offering was made. In fact, all the offerings were made there. But this brazen altar was called the burnt altar. It received its name from this sacrifice. I take it it was the most important sacrifice. And it's recorded first of the five offerings because of its prominence and priority. This offering is a picture of Christ in depth as well as in death.

Man cannot probe the full meaning as this offering sets before us what God sees in Christ. And we don't see quite as much as he does. Here is a profound mystery that only the Holy Spirit can reveal. And you remember Paul in Ephesians 5 2 says, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and given himself for us and offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. This is the burnt offering. This is the person of Christ. Now, this sweet savor offering, the burnt offering, it's Christ our substitute. And we have here in these first four verses the regulations for the burnt offering.

Then we'll have the ritual of it, then the reason for the burnt offering. And then we'll turn over to the sixth chapter and see the law of the burnt sacrifice. Now, as to the regulations here, you see as we open it, God called under Moses out of the tabernacle, no longer speaking from the top of Mount Sinai in thunder and lightning is when he gave the commandments. Here he calls to Moses from the tabernacle in reconciliation. He called. It's for those that will hear his voice. That's important to see. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 22, while the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified under the Jews a stumbling block, under the Greeks foolishness, but under them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

And called doesn't just mean those that hear. It means those that have responded. And I'd ask you that question, have you heard him? And have you responded to him? Now, he says here as we've read, speak under the children of Israel, say under them, if any man of you bring an offering under the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock. If any man, you know who that means? That means whosoever will may come. Notice here in verse 3, he shall offer it of his own voluntary will.

May I say this is free will with a vengeance. The Lord Jesus said if any man thirst, let him come. This is an all inclusive invitation to the human family. None are excluded except those who exclude themselves. The one condition is the Lord Jesus said if any man thirst, you say I don't thirst. Well, then maybe it wasn't for you. But if you thirst, he says come to him. He can satisfy you. Isaiah included this in his invitation when he said, ho, everyone that thirsteth, come. And anyone can come to Christ who chooses to come.

You have a need and a desire, come. Now, do you notice there are two types of animals that we use? Of the herd, that's cattle. Of the flock, that's sheep. While animals were excluded, carnivorous animals were forbidden. Animals that live by slaying other animals could never reveal Christ who came to give his life, a ransom for many. And it had to be clean animal and it must be domesticated and it couldn't be taken in the hunt. Only that which was valuable and dear to the owner could be offered for God spared not his own son.

And Christ suffered on the cross, but the Father suffered in heaven. My, what a picture this is. And it's a picture of Christ obedient under death. We're going to have to leave off there today, but friends, this is a glorious section we're in now. We're going to see Christ as we've never seen him before. Until next time, may God richly bless you.

Steve Schwetz: Well, that's an amazing promise. We're going to see Jesus like we've never seen him before. We've only just begun in Leviticus, so this would be a great time to invite someone to listen with you. Someone who maybe also skipped over Leviticus in their yearly Bible reading. Invite them to hop aboard the Bible bus with you next time. And to check out the many ways to listen, you can visit ttb.org. And I highly suggest our app. It's pretty flexible and it's changed the way that I study the Bible because I always get to read the passage before the study through the app.

Or if we can help you discover the many ways that you can catch through the Bible, call 1-800-655-BIBLE or email Bible bus at ttb.org. Or you can also write to box 7100 Pasadena, California 91109. In Canada, box 25325 London, Ontario N6C 6B1. I'm Steve Schwetz and I'll save a seat for you here on the Bible bus for next time.

Guest (Male): Today's study with Dr. J. Vernon McGee is brought to you by Through the Bible and it's made possible by the generous prayer and financial investments from listeners like you on the Bible bus all around the world.