VAYIKRA (And He Called) Lev1:1–5:26; Isaiah 43:21–44:23; Mark 7:1–30;
Leviticus is the least read and least preached book within the Church although in biblical times it was the first one Jewish children were given to memorise when they began their education. This is because holiness, without which we cannot see God, is the main thread that runs throughout the book. Constantly God commanded the Israelites to live holy lives: Lev 11:44 – “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”
(1Peter 1:14-16) “Like obedient children, do not be shaped by the cravings you had formerly in your ignorance. 15 Instead, just like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in everything you do. 16 For it is written, “Kedoshim (WHOLLY CONSECRATED) you shall be, for I am kadosh.”
The perfect holiness of God permeates His character. Nothing in all creation can be compared to Him. He is the sovereign Creator of all that exists and is distinct, different and separate from all others. He is alone is ‘Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh!’ and worthy of all honour, praise, worship and glory for He is set apart, clean, pure, undefiled, spotless, flawless; glorious, magnificent and awesome and strikingly beautiful.
Scripture does not provide middle ground in the Kingdom of God. We must choose whether to live our lives holy unto God as those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God who freely sacrificed Himself for our sins!
This is where we can see important parallels in this parasha that focuses upon the functions and duties of the priesthood regarding the sacrificial system. In fact the first 13 chapters concentrate almost exclusively on this in minute detail. When a person sinned they made restoration by means of a substitutionary sacrifice through the shedding of blood of an animal in the prescribed manner.
The Jewish sages made an astute observation in chapter 1:2 where they noticed something grammatically odd with the phrase, “When any of you offers up a sacrifice to Adonai…” This included the korban olah or burnt offering. The noun, Olah means “to go up” because when the priest would burn the offerings on the altar, the aroma would go up to the Lord. In Ps. 142:2, David described our prayers like offerings of sweet smelling incense and in Rev.8:8 angels were holding golden bowls, full of incense, which represented the prayers of the saints. The sages noted that the greatest sacrifice we can offer God is the totality of our lives. (Rom 12:1)
The word korban, “an offering” comes from the root word (k-r-v (קרב) meaning to draw close (karov) because the sacrifices would restore closeness with Him. There were a total of five types of offerings:
- Ascending offering (olah)
- 5 varieties of meal offerings (michah) using fine flour, olive oil and frankincense;
- Peace offerings (Shl’amim);
- Sin Offering (chatat) committed by an individual, group or whole community;
- Guilt offering (asham)
The laws of sacrifices contained in Leviticus, are among the hardest in the Torah to relate to. It has been almost 2000 years since the Temple was destroyed and the sacrificial system came to an end. After its destruction in 70 AD, the sacrificial system could no longer continue and so a different form of theology developed under rabbinic Judaism which replaced the Temple priesthood.
Blood sacrifices became thought of as primitive, unnecessary, outdated and irrelevant. So, the concept of a Saviour who offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin was linked to the concept of human sacrifice compared to offerings made to the pagan god Molech. This, of course is a distortion where Scriptures such as Isaiah 53 and many other places provide a correct perspective. There is a profound difference between pagan sacrifice and the Divine sacrifice made by Yeshua. But, an even greater contradiction is where the very command that the Jewish people claim to abhor has become the most frequently practiced throughout world Jewry. Over 60 million babies have been sacrificed through abortion since 1948 that surpasses the number of Jewish people slaughtered in the Holocaust.
Because of the impossibility to continue the sacrificial system following the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70AD, Rabbinic Judaism replaced the doctrine of salvation with observance of Torah, Tzedekah and prayer. Judaism now put the cart before the horse as salvation became something earned rather than received.
Jewish thinkers have sought to understand the symbolic significance of sacrifice and its relationship between ourselves and God. What is the essence of sacrifice? All the OT prophets warn that offering Temple sacrifices is empty outside of a close relationship with God. The Jewish people have faced a Catch 22 situation: No sacrificial system = no right relationship with God. No relationship with God because no sacrificial system exists. Judaism is faced with an impossible situation because it has rejected the one solution that could fix everything – Yeshua (John 14:6).
The NT has turned everything upon its head because Yeshua has become the perfect blood sacrifice and atonement for our sins. Although the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal Life through Yeshua forever true believer. We are saved by grace through faith. Now, what Paul states in Rom 12:1-2 makes full sense as we offer Him a consecrated life for His glory through the sacrifice of His sinless life by His blood shed for us for the remission of OUR sins – not by our merit but entirely through His grace!
Judaism cannot offer any guarantee beyond a ‘fingers-crossed’ hope that maybe if one can accrue sufficient ‘brownie points’ a person may earn their salvation. But, it comes without assurance because there is none and so eternal life is considered a taboo subject avoided and rarely ever discussed or pondered.
God provides the means for entering a right relationship with Him – to become close (karov) through Yeshua. Though we were once afar off, at just the right time, God sent His Son to die for us that we might become close to Him through restored fellowship.
This is beautifully illustrated here in our Torah portion. In Lev 1:5 the high priest was commanded to sacrifice a young bull before the LORD; and then Aaron’s sons would offer up the blood and sprinkle it around on the altar at the doorway of the tabernacle. But, he not only sprinkled the blood around the altar, he dipped his finger in it and sprinkled it 7 times before the Lord, in front of the veil. (Lev 4:17)
Likewise, the blood of Yeshua, our ‘Great High Priest’ of the Newer Covenant, was also sprinkled before the Lord seven times on different occasions in the last moments leading to His crucifixion:
1Yeshua sweated drops of blood when He prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)
2He was struck in the face until it was “marred beyond recognition.” (Isaiah 52:14)
3His back was scourged with a whip. (Isaiah 50:6; Matt 27:26)
4The soldiers put a crown of thorns on His head. (John 19:2)
5They plucked out His beard. (Isaiah 50:6)
6They pierced His hands and feet. (Ps 22:16; Luke 24:39;John 20:27)
7They pierced His side with a spear and blood and water came out. (Ps 22:14; Is 53:5; John 19:34)
Isaiah revealed that God planned to lay all of our sins and iniquities upon the Messiah, “Who though in the form of God did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself — taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself— obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Yeshua’s sacrifice provides us with salvation and the means to live holy lives that bring glory to His name with the promise of an eternity to dwell in the fullness of His presence when He returns for us very soon!
This is the essence of what we shall be celebrating at our Pesach Seder next Shabbat!
Raphael ben Levi
