Levitical Sacrificial System

Welcome to the study of the sacrificial system. This study comes from the book of Leviticus. In reading Leviticus one might get the impression that it is a very dull and perhaps uninspiring book. However, it is one of the most interesting studies in the entire Old Testament. In this first chapter we will introduce the study of the sacrifices of the law of Moses and give an explanation of the different kinds of prophecy that the Old Testament contains. Then we will study the concept of typology. This is a term that needs to be identified and explained. After that we will enter a study of the sacrifices as a system of shadows, or better–a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

In the Hebrew text Leviticus begins with the word “and,” showing that it was the continuation of the story that was begun in Exodus, with which it stands as a unit. Exodus closes the primary stage of Hebrew history and begins the story of God’s legislation to his people through the Law of Moses. Exodus is a prelude to and an introduction to Leviticus. 

In Exodus 19:5-6 God makes this statement to the children of Israel after he  rescued them out of Egyptian bondage, 

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” 

The fundamental purpose of priests is to offer sacrifices to God. Thus God wanted the entire nation of Israel to be His holy priesthood and to become a holy nation. The word “holy” not only suggests the idea of belonging to God but also defines the moral qualities that Israel must exercise in its relationship with God.

Then in Exodus 20, from Mount Sinai, God gave the law of Moses with its ten commandments. It was the constitution, the under-girding principles, on which the entire government of Israel was conducted throughout the Mosaic covenant. The laws are called statutes, ordinances and commandments. Following Exodus 20 the rest of the book of Exodus is devoted to the explanation of the building of the tabernacle, to the ordination of the Levitical priests into their sacred functions and then to some initial explanations of the sacrifices that those priests would offer at the tabernacle according to the demands of the law.

These are the four ingredients that are included in the constitution of the sacrificial system of the Law of Moses: the law itself (the covenant), the priests, the tabernacle and the sacrifices. These are the fundamental basis of the study of the sacrificial system of the book of Leviticus.