As of today,
we are close to the end of the book of Leviticus. Are you loving it? Some people find it difficult to read. I have found in the last few years that the
book retains my attention for one simple reason. God is speaking. When God speaks, the words that are said are
authoritative for us. And it is
impossible to miss the authoritative tone of Leviticus. I experience what I would call a healthy fear
of God when I read Leviticus.
But how can
we truly say that Leviticus is authoritative for us when we don’t do everything the book tells us to? Whether it’s mixing fibers, stoning people to
death, or not eating seafood without fins or scales, there are a number of laws
we don’t obey. In fact, there is a lot
of confusion in our society when Christians refer only to Leviticus. The reason is that there are so many laws in
Leviticus that we don’t follow.
So how is it
authoritative?
Christopher
J.H. Wright is one of the great Old Testament scholars. He wrote a fabulous article for Christianity Today last summer called
“Learning to Love Leviticus”. I want to
provide three keys to reading Leviticus that he discusses in his article. These will help us to see Leviticus as truly
authoritative even as we don’t keep all the rules it gives us.
Principles
Did you know
that London taxi cab drivers are still required by law to have a bale of hay
and a bag of oats for their horses? Do
they follow that law? No, because taxi
drivers no longer ride horses, but drive automobiles. But the principle still stands: provide
sufficient food for your horses. In the
same way, we find principles for Old Testament laws that it no longer makes
sense for us to follow. Wright includes
another example. Paul in the New
Testament is writing to the Corinthian people.
He quotes from a Deuteronomy passage about how oxen that are grinding
corn should be fed from the product of their labors. The urban Corinthians would not have had
oxen. So what is Paul’s point? The point is in the principle. Just as the oxen deserve the reward for their
labor, so do people.
Notice that
just because an Old Testament law like the one I just mentioned is not
addressed to me (I have no oxen) does
not mean it is not authoritative. If I
had oxen, it would be. This is what it
means to see the principle behind the Leviticus laws.
Finding the Principles
Wright lists
a number of helpful questions for finding principles. We can ask ourselves these to help engage
imaginatively with the book of Leviticus.
1) What kind of situation was this law intended to promote or to
prevent? 2) What change in society would
this law achieve if it were followed? 3)
What kind of situation made this law necessary or desirable? 4) What kind of person would benefit from
this law, by assistance or protection?
5) What kind of person would be restrained or restricted by this law,
and why? 6) What values are given
priority in this law? Whose needs or
rights are upheld? 7) In what way does
this law reflect what we know from elsewhere in the Bible about the character
of God and his plans for human life? 8)
What principle or principles does this law embody or instantiate?
These
questions won’t make sense of all the
laws, Wright claims. “Some laws are just
plain puzzling.” Even just looking over
these questions helps us to understand that the most important thing about the
laws isn’t what they are preventing.
Sometimes we need to look further and imagine the kind of life these
laws are creating and protecting.
Why We Don’t Keep Certain Laws
There are
certain laws that we don’t keep because they are fulfilled in Christ. We find cause to keep levitical rules, or see them as fulfilled, depending on how they are treated in the New Testament. The food laws and the sacrificial laws are
fulfilled in Christ the New Testament. For the
food laws, see Acts 10. For the
sacrificial laws, see…wait for it…the next book we’re reading!! The Letter to the Hebrews is the next book on
our reading list. Its entire subject is
the finished work of Christ. There is no
sacrifice that can improve upon it.
I hope these three points from Wright’s article help you to learn to love Leviticus.
I hope these three points from Wright’s article help you to learn to love Leviticus.
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