Leviticus Explained: God's Guide to Holiness and Jesus' Ultimate Sacrifice

Have you ever messed up so badly that you felt like you couldn't face God? And you like, "How do I even pray after what

I just did? I feel I am far from him. How do I get close to him when I feel so dirty, so guilty, so far away?" What if

I told you that God himself gave us a step-by-step guide on exactly how broken people can come close to him, and he

will draw us near like never before? And what if I told you that this ancient guide points directly to why Jesus

actually died for you and me? Welcome to Inspired by Nessa. I'm Nessa and today we're diving into Leviticus. We are

going to go through all chapters. I mean from chapter 1 to 27, the last chapter. And trust me, by the end of this video,

you're going to understand God's love in a whole new way. This is a Bible study you're going to enjoy. Stay with me till

the very end. Let's get into it. I titled chapter 1 this way. How to get Close to God, the Sacrifice That Changed

Everything. But before we go into it, let me quickly tell you what Leviticus is all about. Because a lot of people

skip this book, thinking it's boring or irrelevant. Think of the Bible like a story. In Genesis, God creates the world

and chooses Abraham's family. While in Exodus, God rescues his people from slavery in Egypt, gives them the Ten

Commandments, and tells them to build a special tent called the tabernacle. and how he described it to Moses that he

will live among them in there. And now Leviticus that we are now here's the situation. God is living in a tent in

the middle of their camp. His presence is right there. But there's a problem. The people are sinful and God is

perfectly holy. It's like trying to mix oil and water. They don't go together. So the people are asking, "How do we get

close to God without being destroyed by his holiness?" And that's exactly what Leviticus answers. It's God's

instruction manual on how sinful people can approach a holy God. And this book has 27 chapters and we're going through

all of them together. Are you ready for this? Get a jot or any book so you can jot down some key points or moments.

Now, Leviticus chapter 1, the word Leviticus was derived from Hebrew Vayikra, which means and he called. And

chapter 1 is all about something called the burnt offering. Now, I know when you hear burnt offering, it sounds weird and

maybe even scary, but let me break it down in the simplest way possible. Here's what a burnt offering was. When

someone wanted to worship God or make things right with God after sinning, they would bring an animal like a bull,

a sheep, a goat, or even birds to the priest. The animal would be killed and then completely burned on an altar as a

gift to God. I know that sounds intense, but there's a powerful reason for it. Let me explain. Why did God require

animals? See it this way. You borrowed your friend's brand new car and you accidentally crashed the car. You will

feel terrible. You will want to make it right. Saying just sorry doesn't fix the car, right? And the only way to make it

right, you'd need to actually pay to fix it or replace it. Now, your friend won't tell you to replace it with a new phone

because that car is so precious to him or her. And again, the car is still new. He or she will think of the struggle he

or she went through before buying it. So, you will need to fix it. That's the kind of what sin is like with God. Sin

isn't just a mistake. It's serious. It breaks our relationship with God. And the Bible says the punishment for sin is

death. Romans 6:23. But here's where God shows his love. Instead of making us die for our sins, God said, "I'll allow an

innocent animal to die in your place." So when someone brought an animal, they were basically saying, "God, I deserve

punishment for my sin, but I'm asking this animal to take my punishment instead of me." Did you see that? Now

your friend won't tell you to buy a new phone, so that will replace the new bashed car because they're two different

things with different purposes. So when the people brought animals, this is what they were saying. God, I deserve

punishment for my sin, but I'm asking this animal to take my punishment instead of me. Does that remind you of

anyone? Jesus. Jesus was the innocent one who died in our place. That's why we call him the lamb of God because he was

the ultimate sacrifice. Every animal sacrifice in Leviticus was pointing forward to Jesus. Now, God gave specific

instructions. He told them the three kinds of animals people could bring. Now, here's something beautiful about

God's heart. God knew that not everyone could afford the same thing. Some people were rich, some were middle class, and

some were very poor. So God said, "One, if you're wealthy, bring a bull, the most expensive animal. Two, if you're

middle class, bring a sheep or goat, less expensive. Three, if you're poor, bring two birds, the cheapest option."

Here's what's amazing. God accepted all three the same way. The rich person's bull was no more special to God than the

poor person's birds. What does this teach us? God doesn't care whether you are rich or not. God cares about your

heart, not your wallet. God makes a way for everyone to come to him, rich or poor. You don't need to be perfect or

have everything put together to approach God. Some people think, "I can't go to church because I don't have nice clothes

or I can't serve God because I don't have money to give." But Leviticus 1 shows us God doesn't care about what you

have. He cares about your heart. Come as you are. Bring what you have and God will accept you the way you are. He's

not a man that condemns. Let me walk you through what actually happened when someone brought a

sacrifice. Step one, they brought their best animal, not a sick one. Not an old, not weak one, but their best. Why?

Because God deserves our best, not our leftovers. It surprises me when I see some people taking spoiled fruit to

church as a thanksgiving offering present to God. Ah, as well. Think about it this way. In your own life, do you

give God your best time or just whatever is left after scrolling social media for hours? Do you give him your best energy

or just pray when you're exhausted right before bed? Do you give him your best focus? Or are you distracted thinking

about other things? God wants your best. God needs your attention. Let it not be when you need something. That's when you

will give him attention and time. No. Create it now. Let's continue. Step two. They laid their hand on the animal's

head. This was super important. When they laid their hand on the animal, they were saying, "This animal is

representing me. My sin is being transferred to this animal." The innocent animal was becoming their

substitute. Just like Jesus became our substitute. Jesus took our sin on himself so we could be forgiven. Step

three, the animal was killed. I'm not going to be graphic, but the animal died. Blood was shed. This was God's way

of showing them sin is serious. Sin cost a life. Every time they watch that animal die, they were reminded of how

serious their sin was. Now, this is an application for us. We can't treat sin casually. We can't be like, "Oh, well,

God will forgive me anyway, so it doesn't matter." No. Sin mattered so much that Jesus had to die for it. Step

four, the entire animal was burned on the altar. Everything, the head, the legs, the organs. Ah, everything was

placed on the altar and burned completely. The smoke went up to heaven. And the Bible says it was a pleasing

aroma to the Lord. Why did God find this pleasing? Not because he liked the smell of barbecue, but because it showed

faith. They trusted God's way, obedience. They did exactly what God said, worship. They were giving their

best to God. Humility. They admitted they needed God's forgiveness. When we worship God today, whether through

prayer, singing, serving others, or living obediently, God looks at our heart. Is your worship genuine, or are

you just going through the motions? This is the big picture. How this connects to Jesus. Okay, here's where everything

comes together. This is huge. Every single animal sacrifice in the Old Testament was temporary. It covered sin

for a moment, but people had to keep coming back over and over again with more animals. See, God is patient

because ah he even I sometimes I do wonder if God is not even tired of me and my sins. But I realize that God's

love is endless and pure because each time we sin, he forgive over and over again. Which is the same way the people

in the book of Leviticus were doing. But then Jesus came. Let me show you how Jesus fulfilled everything in Leviticus

1. Leviticus sacrifice is a perfect animal with no defects. Jesus on the other hand was perfect. He never sinned.

In Leviticus sacrifice, an innocent animal died, but Jesus was innocent, but died for the guilty. The animal was a

substitute, but Jesus became our substitute on the cross. Animal blood was shed. Jesus blood was shed for our

forgiveness. The animal sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to God. But Jesus's sacrifice pleased God the Father. The

animal sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. But Jesus died once and for all time. This is why Hebrews

10:10 says, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. You don't

need to bring bulls and goats anymore. You don't need to keep earning God's forgiveness. Jesus has paid it all."

Family, do you realize what this means? Every sin you've ever committed, a past, present, and future, was placed on

Jesus. He took the punishment you deserved. He died the death you should have died. Aha. And now, because of him,

you can come boldly to God. Not because you're perfect, but because Jesus made you acceptable. That's the gospel right

there. And that's the end of chapter 1. But the question is, how does this apply to my life today? How does this apply to

your life today? I want you to ask yourself this. Let me give you three practical takeaways you can apply this

week. Step one, stop giving God your leftovers. The Israelites gave God their best animals. Not the sick ones, not the

old ones, but the best. Ask yourself, am I giving God the best of my time or just 5 minutes before bed? Don't just wait

until God brings you closer or let me say draw you near to him through tribulations and trials just to have or

get your time. Ask yourself, am I giving God my best attitude or is he getting my complaints and negativity? You only know

God when you are in pain. Don't do that. Let it be that you know him at every single time. Not just when you are in

any problems, struggles, pains, and trials. Ask yourself again, am I giving God my best effort or am I lazy in my

walk with him? I want you to challenge yourself. Try giving God the first 15 minutes of your morning every single day

before checking your phone, before anything else. Talk to God first and see how it changes your life. Let's move to

chapter 2. In chapter 2 of Leviticus, God taught the people and us how to bring a thanksgiving offering. In

chapter 1, we learned about the burnt offering, an animal sacrifice that represented atonement for sin and total

dedication to God. Now, in chapter 2, we move to something completely different. There are no animals here. There are no

blood. Instead, God introduces the grain offering. This was an offering made with food made from fine flour, baked bread

or roasted grain. And it carried a beautiful message about gratitude, um, daily provision and the work of our

hands. What was the grain offering? The grain offering called minccha in Hebrew, which simply means a gift or tribute,

which was made from fine flour. A person would take their flour and prepare it in one of several ways. As raw flour mixed

with oil and frankincense, as something baked in an oven like bread or wafers, as something cooked on a griddle like

flatbread or something fried in a pan. Um then they would bring it to the priest and the priest would take it by

handful and burn it on the altar. The rest would go to the priest as their food. The entire offering smelled

wonderful as it burned, like fresh bread baking. And God called it a pleasing aroma. What does grain have to do with

worship? Here is what is so powerful about this offering. The grain came from their farms. And in those days, farming

was their only way to eat and to survive. That was the only work they had. So if they woke up in the morning

saying they were going to work is farming. They will plant it. They will water it and then harvest it. This was

the fruit of their labor and their daily bread. And by bringing it to God, they were saying, "God, everything I have

grown, everything I have worked for, all of it came from you. You gave me the rain. You gave me the soil. You gave me

the strength to work. This is me giving back a portion of what you gave me first." Does that sound familiar? It is

the same heart behind tithing today. When we give to God from our income, we are acknowledging that he is the source

of everything we have. These are the two things that were absolutely forbidden. God gave very specific instructions. No

yeast and no honey in the grain offering. God told them not to burn it on the altar. Now, this might sound

strange, but there is a deep meaning here. In the Bible, yeast is often used as a symbol of sin. It spreads quietly

and invisibly and changes everything it touches, just like sin does in our lives. Jesus himself said, "Beware of

the yeast of the Pharisees." Meaning, beware of the influence of pride and hypocrisy. Honey, on the other hand, is

sweet and good in itself. But it was excluded because it symbolized anything that might make worship feel good on the

outside, but is mixed with wrong motives on the inside. God was teaching them, "When you come to me, come clean, come

pure, and come with a heart that is real, not a religious performance." Now, salt, this one was the one thing that

must always be included. If yeast and honey were forbidden, salt was the complete opposite. It was required. God

made it compulsory. In fact, God called it the salt of the covenant. Salt in ancient times was incredibly valuable.

It preserved food. It was used in business agreements and it represented loyalty and faithfulness. When two

people made a covenant, they would sometimes share salt as a sign of their unbreakable promise. And by requiring

salt in every offering, God was saying, "My covenant with you does not spoil. My promises are preserved. I am faithful."

And in return, he was asking his people to approach him with that same faithfulness, not as a one-time act, but

as a consistent loyal relationship. You see, God is too much. He is too wise. After the salt, God spoke about the

offering of the first fruit. Sometimes I just wonder how God came up with those names and doings because and it was

towards the end of the chapter that God spoke about the offering of first fruits. Now the very first grain of the

harvest was roasted and crushed and also brought to the Lord. The principle of first fruits is simple but deeply

challenging. You give God the first, not the last. Not what is left over after you have paid all your bills, not eaten

all your food. No. And spent all your time. No, it is the first portion. For example, you just received your salary.

Now, before you start to spend that money, take out your tithe first or buy something and take it to the Lord's

house as an honor to God, not when you're done buying or after paying bills or anything. This is what is called

leftover. This is a principle that runs all through scripture. Proverbs 3:9 says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with the first fruits of all your produce." It is an act of faith that says, "God, I trust you with the rest

because I am giving you the first." Chapter 2 is all about gratitude in action. It teaches us that worship is

not only for when you have sinned and need forgiveness. Worship is also for ordinary Tuesday mornings when you eat

breakfast, go to work, and live your everyday life. Now, every meal is a reminder of God's provision. Every

paycheck is a gift from his hand. Every skill you have today and every harvest from your hard work all come from him.

The question is, are you acknowledging him as the source? Try this today. Before you eat your next meal, before

you spend your next paycheck, pause and say, "God, this came from you. Thank you, and I am giving you the first of

it." That is the grain offering lived out in modern life. Stay with me as we move to chapter 3. And if you are

enjoying this video, please give us a like and share with anyone who loves to hear Bible story or Bible study. Chapter

3 has one of the most joyful offerings in all of Leviticus, which is the peace offering. The peace offering was also

called the fellowship offering. This offering had a completely different feel from the other ones. It was less

serious, more celebratory. It was about relationship, joy, and communion with God. What was the peace offering? The

peace offering, which is called shalam in Hebrew from the root word shalom, meaning wholeness, completeness, and

well-being, was an offering of celebration. Unlike the burnt offering where everything was burnt for God, the

peace offering was shed. Um, part of it was burned on the altar for God, part went to the priests, and the rest, which

was a large portion, was eaten by the person who brought it and their family. This was essentially a sacred feast, a

meal eaten in the presence of God. Picture it like this. You bring a meal to share with God and he lets you sit at

the table with him. It is a picture of friendship, of restored relationships, of joyful communion. Let me tell you

what I did when I was little. I know some of us did this if not all of us when I was little about 11 years old. If

I want to eat I will made two portion and I say one is for God and I will take the other. It went on like that. Even

when I buy biscuit I will throw some on the floor saying God come and eat. This is your own from my biscuit. So when I

grew and each time I remember that I will laugh at myself. And you know the funniest thing is that I will go back

and check the area where I threw that biscuit to see if God had come to take it. And if am eating as well on the

table with the one I kept for God, I will be like God are you not coming to eat your food before it get cold.

And when I'm saying that I will be looking at the sky like God come down or you don't want to eat. But not knowing I

was practicing what was called peace offering in the book of Leviticus. You know that chapter Jesus said when I was

a child I behaved like one. It was when I grew up, I understood it better. And each time I laugh at myself, when I

remember, not because it was funny, but because of how serious I was then, and now I don't even do that anymore. Not

because I don't want to, but because I now have a better understanding of what it is. Now, there are three kinds of

peace offerings. While Leviticus 7 gives us more detail, we later learn that there were three types of peace

offerings. The first was a thank offering brought when someone wanted to say, "God, I thank you for what you just

did for me. You came through. You healed me. You delivered me. You provided for me. The second was a vow offering

brought after someone made a promise to God and he fulfilled it. The third was a free will offering brought for no

specific reason other than God, I just love you. I am not in trouble. I do not need anything right now. I just want to

worship you. That last one is the purest form of worship. When you seek God, not for what he can give you, but simply

because of who he is. Now um there is one specific instruction in this chapter and the instruction is that all the fat

from the animal had to be burned on the altar for God. In ancient times the fat was considered the richest most valuable

part of the animal by reserving it for God. The message was clear the best goes to God first. And this principle appears

over and over in scripture because God knows our human nature that we tend to give ourselves the best and give God

what is left. Let me share this with you. I went to a church. I was invited to for their yearly thanksgiving. It was

said that everyone should bring one tangible thing to come and say thank you God for what you have been doing for me

and the one you are going to do. And when I got there I was amazed and I was ashamed of what I carried. Some brought

big ram some raw goat some cow. And I only went with a small bag of rice. That's what God is saying right here to

bring your best. Those people knew what they would get in return. That's why they went with their best of the best.

We tend to give ourselves the best and give God what is left. But a life of true peace, true shalom is built on

keeping God in his rightful place at the top. When he is first, everything else falls into order. Here is the deeper

message of this entire chapter 3. God was not just teaching his people about rituals. He was showing them that a life

close to him is a life full of peace. Not a life without problems, but a life where you are in the right relationship

with God who holds all things together. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of Jesus, the greatest peace offering ever made, you

and I can have access to God. We can come to his table. We can have shalom. Not just the absence of conflict, but

total well-being in your spirit, soul, and body. Now, I want you to try this practical step from what we learned in

chapter 3. A peace offering teaches us three things. One, celebrate what God has done in your life. Do not just move

from one prayer request to another without stopping to say, "Thank you, Lord," and celebrate him. Two, worship

God when things are going well, not just when you are desperate. Do not only call on God when you are in a crisis. Seek

him in the good seasons, too. Three, make space for fellowship with God. Not just Bible reading as a to-do list.

Don't just rush prayers but real unhurried time where you sit in his presence and simply enjoy knowing him.

That is what shalom looks like. Now in chapter 4 we encounter something much more serious which is the sin offering.

This was not for deliberate defiant sin. This was specifically for unintentional sins, mistakes made out of ignorance or

weakness. And God treated them with just as much seriousness as intentional sins because even accidental sin creates a

gap between a holy God and us. What is an unintentional sin? An unintentional sin is exactly what it sounds like.

Something you did wrong without realizing it was wrong at the time. Maybe you made a promise that violated

God's law without thinking it through. Maybe you touched something that made you ceremonially unclean without

knowing. Maybe you acted in a way that was culturally acceptable but spiritually wrong. That's why we need to

keep on asking the Holy Spirit for guidance. We all have moments like this. You look back on something you did or

said and realize that was not right and I did not even see it at the time. God takes these seriously because sin

affects our relationship with him regardless of our intentions. But his response is not condemnation. It is a

path to restoration. What is fascinating about chapter 4 is that God tailored the sin offering based on who sinned. If the

high priest sinned and because his sin affected the whole community, he had to bring a young bull. If the whole

community of Israel sinned together, the elders would bring a bull on behalf of everyone. If a leader sinned, he brought

a male goat. If an ordinary person sinned, they brought a female goat or a lamb. God understood that different

people carried different levels of responsibility. The priest who led the nation was held to a higher standard

than the individual. This is a principle that runs through all of scripture and into our lives today. Greater

responsibility comes with greater accountability. Here is something unique about the sin offering for the priest

and the community's offering. The blood was not just sprinkled at the bronze altar outside. The priest would take the

blood inside right into the holy place and sprinkle it seven times before the curtain that separated the people from

the very presence of God. Then he would put some on the horns of the golden incense altar. This was a deeper, more

penetrating act of atonement. It was saying that sin does not just damage your outward life. It affects your

innermost being and your access to God. After the entire process was completed, God said something four times in this

chapter. And the repeated word is and he will be forgiven four times. God wanted everyone to be completely sure. When you

come to him the right way through the prescribed sacrifice, the sin is covered. It is done. There is no

lingering guilt. There is no penalty still hanging over your head. You are forgiven. This is the heart of God. Not

to crush you with guilt, but to restore you to relationship. The same is true today. When you confess your sin to God

through Jesus Christ, 1 John 1:9 promises, "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness." Not some of your sin, all of it. Here is what chapter 4 means for our lives today. You

are not perfect. None of us is. And sometimes we sin without even knowing it. Wrong attitudes we carry without

realizing they are wrong. Hurtful things we say before we think. Patterns in our lives that dishonor God that we have not

yet recognized. Do not wait until you feel massive guilt before you bring it to God. Make a habit of asking him

regularly saying, "God, if there is anything in me that is not right, God, show me what I cannot see in myself."

and then trust that when you confess and bring it to him through Jesus, you are forgiven completely. That is not a

weakness. That is wisdom. Now, chapter 5, this is a continuation of the sin and guilt offerings from chapter 4. But

here, God gets very specific. He gives us three real life scenarios where guilt is incurred and then tells us about the

guilt offering, also called the trespass offering, which was specifically for cases where someone wronged God or

another person and needed to make restitution. Not just say sorry, but actually make it right. The first

scenario God addresses is this. You were a witness to something. Maybe you saw a crime. Maybe you knew someone was being

cheated. Maybe you had information that could help bring justice and you stayed silent. You said nothing. God says that

silence in those moments makes you guilty. In today's culture, we often say, "It is not my business. It is not

my place. I do not want to get involved." But God says there is a responsibility that comes with

knowledge. When you know something that can help someone and you choose to stay silent for the sake of comfort or

convenience, God is saying it is a sin. It is uncomfortable, but it is true. The second case is about accidentally

touching something ceremonially unclean like a dead animal or an unclean person and then forgetting about it or not

realizing it until later. When they remembered they were responsible. The principle here is beautiful. Ignorance

does not eliminate impact. Sometimes we pick up spiritual contamination without even knowing it through the media we

consume, the relationships we keep, environments we put ourselves in, and then we wonder why we feel spiritually

dull or far from God. Chapter 5 teaches us to stay sensitive and when we realize we have drifted, we have to deal with it

immediately rather than ignore it. The third scenario is making a rash or careless oath. Swearing to do something

without thinking it through or making a vow in the heat of the moment and not following through. How many times have

we said, "I promise I will." And then forgotten or chosen not to. How many times have we made vows to God? God, if

you get me out of this, I will serve you. I will give. I will change. And then when the crisis passed, so did the

commitment. God takes our words seriously. Jesus echoed this in Matthew 5:37 when he said, "Let your yes be yes

and your no be no." Your word matters. And in one of our previous video, we covered the entire chapters of the

Gospel of Matthew, which I am going to link to this video. You're going to love it and you will understand more what

Jesus is saying here. What makes the guilt offering different from the sin offering is that it often required

restitution. actually paying back what was taken or damaged plus 20% extra. This is justice with generosity. If you

took something, you gave it back plus more. If you wronged someone, you make more right than wrong. This is not just

about apologizing. It is about repairing the damage. It is the difference between saying sorry and actually doing

something about it. True repentance changes behavior. It says I am sorry and I am going to make it right. Once again,

God's compassion shines through. If someone could not afford a lamb, they could bring two birds. If they could not

afford birds, they could bring a small amount of fine flour. No oil, no incense, just plain flour. Even the

poorest of the poor still had a way to come to God. No one was excluded from forgiveness because of financial

poverty. Um, God has always made the path to restoration accessible to everyone. Chapter 5 is challenging but

deeply practical. It is asking you and me to do three things. First, speak up when you know something is wrong, even

when it is not comfortable. Silence is not neutral. It is a choice. Secondly, stay spiritually sensitive. Pay

attention to what you are allowing into your life and deal with it quickly before it dulls your relationship with

God. And thirdly, keep your word. Be someone whose yes means yes. If you have made promises to God or to people that

you have not kept, today is the day to revisit those and take them seriously. And if you have wronged someone, do not

just apologize. Ask what you can do to make it right. That is what the guilt offering says today. Can I be honest

with you today? There are seasons in life where your passion for God feels like a raging fire. You cannot stop

reading your Bible. Worship brings you to tears and you feel so close to him. And then there are other seasons where

that fire feels like it has gone down to barely a flicker, barely anything. You still believe, but you feel dry. You

feel cold and distant. Chapter 6 of Leviticus has something very specific to say about that. We are in chapter 6 now.

Every morning the priests had to do the same thing. They would put on their linen garments, remove the ashes from

the altar, change into their regular clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. Then they would

add fresh wood to the fire and keep it burning day after day, morning after morning without exception. God said in

verse 13, "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously. It must not go out." This was not optional. This was

not something they did when they felt like it or when they had the energy. Every single day, the fire had to be

tendered and maintained. There are some days you will be praying to God that you want to burn for him. When you say that,

just be ready to follow his instructions because he will answer you when you say that. Remember that the original fire on

the altar came from God himself. In Leviticus 9:24, fire came out from the presence of God and consumed the first

burnt offering. That divine fire was sacred. It represented God's acceptance, his presence, his holiness. The priest's

job was not to create the fire. It came from God. Their job was to keep it burning by faithfully adding wood,

removing ashes, and doing the daily work of maintenance. This is a perfect picture of our spiritual lives. the fire

of God's spirit in your heart. The passion, the love, the hunger for God that came from him, he ignited it, but

you are responsible for maintaining it. Now, let's talk about what put the fire out. Fires do not usually go out all at

once. They go out slowly, quietly, gradually, when no fresh fuel is added, when ashes pile up and are not removed,

when it is left unattended for too long. In our spiritual lives, the fire dims when we stop adding fuel, when we stop

reading the word, when we stop praying, when we stop surrounding ourselves with people who push us closer to God. It

also dims when ashes pile up like unconfessed sin, bitterness, unforgiveness, things that have

accumulated in our hearts that we have not dealt with. Just like the priest had to remove the ashes every morning, we

need regular times of reflection and cleansing to keep our hearts tender before God. God also gives detailed

instructions in chapter 6 about how the priests were to handle the grain offering. They could eat a portion of

it, but it had to be eaten without yeast in the court of the tabernacle among the priests only. This set the priests apart

as holy, consecrated, different from the ordinary Israelite. Their eating of the offering was itself an act of worship.

It reminds us that every part of our life, even eating, even rest, even ordinary daily activities can be an act

of worship when done in awareness of God's presence. Now, God also gives specific handling instructions for the

sin offering in this chapter. Because the sin offering dealt with guilt and uncleanness, anything it touched became

holy and set apart. The priests had to wash their garments if the blood touched them. They had to break clay pots that

the offering was boiled in and scour bronze ones thoroughly. Why such strict rules? Because sin leaves a mark. It

contaminates. God was teaching them and teaching us that sin is not something to be casual or careless about. It needs to

be handled properly and dealt with completely, not left to spread. Chapter 6 speaks directly to the issue of

spiritual consistency. It is not about having dramatic experiences with God every single day. It is about the

faithful daily and sometimes mundane work of keeping the fire burning for you today. That means this. Make a daily

non-negotiable commitment to spend time with God. Not a long complicated routine, just consistency. Every

morning, even 5 minutes of reading the word and praying adds fresh wood to the fire. Every moment of confession and

surrendering to God removes the ashes. And every time you choose to worship him, even when you do not feel like it,

you are saying, "The fire in me will not go out." That is the kind of faithfulness God is looking for. Chapter

7. This chapter begins by clarifying that the guilt offering follows almost the same pattern as the sin offering.

The blood is sprinkled on the altar, the fat is burned, and the rest goes to the priests as their portion. The priest who

makes the atonement gets to keep the skin of the offering, which was actually quite valuable since leather was used

for many things. God was providing for the priest's livelihood through the offerings of the people. This is a

principle we see throughout scripture. Those who serve God's people in spiritual ministry should be provided

for by those they serve. Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 9:14. Here is the fascinating rule. When someone brought a

thanks offering as part of the peace offering, it had to be eaten on the same day. None could be left until morning.

If it was a vow or free will offering, they had two days. But on the third day, anything left had to be burned. If

someone ate of the peace offering on the third day, the whole offering was considered defiled. It would not be

accepted. The person would bear their own guilt. Now, that might sound strict, but think about what God was protecting.

God was protecting the freshness and sincerity of gratitude. An offering eaten 3 days later was no longer a

spontaneous response of a grateful heart. It had become a routine, a habit, something gone stale. God wanted their

worship to be alive, immediate, responsive, not a delayed formality. God also specified that anyone in a state of

ceremonial uncleanness, whether from touching a dead body, from disease, or from any other cause, was not permitted

to eat of the peace offering. If they did, they would be cut off from the community. Again, this speaks to the

seriousness of coming to God rightly. You cannot maintain sin and enjoy full communion with God at the same time. You

have to deal with the uncleanness before you come to the table of fellowship. This does not mean you have to be

perfect to approach God, but it does mean you cannot willfully hold on to sin and expect uninterrupted peace with him.

Two things that were absolutely forbidden for the Israelites to eat. Fat and blood. The fat was reserved for God.

It went on the altar. The blood was also reserved. It represented life and was not for human consumption. These rules

might seem arbitrary, but they carry deep spiritual significance. The fat was God's portion. The best belongs to him.

The blood represented life, and only God has authority over life. By forbidding these, God was constantly teaching the

people. There are limits. There are things that belong to God alone. Not everything is for human consumption and

pleasure. Reverence means acknowledging that God's portion is sacred. In this peace offering, specific portions of the

animal were presented in special ways. The breast was waved before the Lord, held up and moved back and forth in a

gesture of presentation, acknowledging that this belongs to God first. The right thigh was given to the officiating

priest as his portion. These ceremonies turned the offering into a physical act of worship, moving the body, lifting the

hands, and presenting to God before receiving. It was not passive. It was active. It was physical and visible

worship. In the same way, our worship today should not be passive. It should involve our whole being.

Chapter 7 leaves us with a powerful challenge about the freshness of our gratitude and worship. When God does

something good in your life, celebrate it now. Tell someone now. Thank him now. Do not wait until it becomes a blurry

memory. Write it down in a journal. Share your testimony. Send a message to a friend or post it if you have a

platform. Fresh testimony is powerful testimony. And make sure you approach God with a clean heart. Deal with the

things in your life that create distance between you and him. You cannot feast at God's table while holding on to the

things he has asked you to let go of. We have finished the section on the five major offerings. Now, Leviticus takes a

dramatic turn into narrative. It becomes a story. Moses gathers all of Israel at the entrance of the tabernacle to

witness something historic. The first priestly ordination ceremony. Aaron, Moses' brother, and Aaron's four sons

are about to be publicly set apart as priests. Uh, this was not a casual appointment. It was an elaborate

week-long ceremony filled with washings, special garments, anointing oil, and multiple sacrifices. Stay with me as we

work deep into chapter 8. In chapter 8, the very first thing that happens is that Moses calls the entire congregation

of Israel to the entrance of the tabernacle. This was a public ceremony, not a private one. God wanted everyone

to see who was being set apart, how it was being done, and why it mattered. Accountability and community are built

into this moment. The priests were not self-appointed. They were publicly chosen, publicly anointed, and publicly

accountable. There is something important here for us. When God calls you to something, it is rarely meant to

happen in isolation. Community validates the calling. Before anything else happened, Moses dressed Aaron in the

special priestly garments that God had described back in Exodus. There was a tunic, a sash, a robe, an ephod, a

decorated vest, a breast piece adorned with 12 precious stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and a turban with a

gold plate on the front that said, "Holy to the Lord." Every piece of clothing had meaning. The breast piece with the

12 stones meant that whenever the high priest entered God's presence, he carried the names of all the people of

Israel on his heart. He was not just representing himself, he was representing everyone. Jesus, our high

priest, carries us on his heart, too. He is always interceding for us. Then Moses took the special anointing oil and

poured it on the tabernacle and everything in it, consecrating it. Then he poured it on Aaron's head. The oil

ran down his face, down his beard, down the collar of his robe. Psalm 133 celebrates this image as a picture of

unity and blessing. Anointing with oil was the outward sign of an inward calling. It said, "This person has been

set apart. The spirit of God is upon them for this specific purpose. The oil also symbolized the Holy Spirit. Just as

Aaron was anointed for his priestly work, we as believers have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit to fulfill

our calling in God's kingdom. These three animals were the ones used as sacrifices during the ordination

ceremony. The first one was a bull for a sin offering. Even before they could begin serving as priests, their own sin

had to be dealt with. No one serves God from a place of unforgiven and undelt with sin. Secondly, a ram for a burnt

offering, total dedication, everything given over to God. And thirdly, a special ram called the ram of

ordination. This is unique. Moses took the blood of this ram and put it on the right earlobe of Aaron and his sons. On

the thumb of their right hands and on the big toe of their right feet, every part of the body from head to toe, ear

to foot, the blood covered them. This is so beautiful when you understand it. The right ear they would now hear with ears

consecrated to God. Every instruction, every word from God would be processed through ears that had been covered by

blood. The right hand would now serve with hands consecrated to God. At the end of the ceremony, Moses told Aaron

and his sons to stay at the entrance of the tabernacle for seven days. They were not to leave. For seven full days, they

stayed in that holy place, going through the ceremonies, preparing themselves. Then on the eighth day, they would begin

their ministry. Seven days of preparation for a lifetime of service. This teaches us something critical.

Preparation is sacred. God does not rush people into ministry. He takes them through seasons of preparation, of

testing, of learning, of consecration. The longer the preparation, the stronger the foundation. Chapter 8 speaks

powerfully to every person who has felt called by God to something. Whether you are called to preach, to teach, to lead

a small group, to serve in your community, to raise godly children, or to be a light in your workplace, you

have been set apart. Like Aaron and his sons, you need the covering of blood, which for us is Jesus sacrifice making

us acceptable. Can you imagine doing everything exactly as God said, following every instruction perfectly,

not missing a single detail, and then at the very end, something happens that leaves you and every person around you

flat on their face on the ground in awe? That is exactly what happened in chapter nine of Leviticus. This is the moment

Aaron steps up as high priest for the very first time and God shows up in a way that nobody expected. The number

eight in the Bible is often associated with new beginnings. After 7 days of preparation, day 8 represents the

beginning of something fresh. Aaron brings specific offerings. A calf for a sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering

for himself, and then offerings on behalf of the entire community. a male goat, a calf, a lamb, a bull, and a ram.

The sheer scale of it shows the significance of this day. This was not a small ceremony. This was a national

moment of consecration. Aaron does everything step by step exactly as Moses had instructed. He offers the sin

offering for himself because before a priest can minister for the people, he must deal with his own sin. This is

deeply relevant. We cannot minister to others from a place of hypocrisy or unhealed sin. The most effective people

in God's kingdom are those who are ruthlessly honest about their own need for grace. After offering for himself,

Aaron offers on behalf of the people. The sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and finally the

peace offering. After completing all the offerings, Aaron does something powerful. He turns toward the people and

lifts his hands and blesses them. The high priest pronouncing a blessing over the congregation. This is the ironic

blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be

gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. This blessing was not Aaron's words. It was

God's words spoken through God's appointed representative. When you receive the word of God spoken over your

life, it is not just a person talking. It is God directing his blessing toward you. After the blessing, Moses and Aaron

go into the tent of meeting together. When they come out, they bless the people once more. And then the glory of

the Lord appeared to all the people, not just to Moses, not just to the priests, to everyone who was gathered there. The

cloud of God's presence, the shikina glory manifested visibly before the entire congregation. Fire came out from

the presence of God and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. This was not a natural fire. This was

supernatural fire straight from God himself. This was God saying, "I accept this. I accept these offerings. I accept

this priesthood. I am here. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. They could not stand in

the overwhelming presence and power of God. They were prostrate on the ground in worship and in amazement. Here is the

central lesson of chapter 9. God's glory showed up after complete obedience, not before, not halfway through. After every

single instruction was followed meticulously. This challenges our culture of shortcuts. We want the glory

without the process. We want the breakthrough without the preparation. We want God to show up without doing what

he said. But chapter 9 says, "Do what God said completely exactly as he instructed?" And then watch him show up

in ways that will surprise and shock your enemies. Is there something God has been asking you to do that you have been

doing halfway? A step of obedience you keep delaying? A commitment you have been putting off? Chapter 9 is your

invitation to complete it. Finish what God started in you. follow through on what he said and trust that when you do,

when you are fully obedient, he will show up in ways that will leave you in awe. Chapter 9 ended with one of the

greatest moments in Leviticus. Fire from God, glory appearing, everyone on their faces in worship. And then almost

immediately, tragedy. Two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abby, who do something that costs them their lives. And the

question that this chapter forces us to ask is this. Does it really matter how we worship God or just that we worship

him? The high point of chapter 9, God's glory appearing and supernatural fire consuming the offerings is immediately

followed by the low point of chapter 10. The same fire that accepted the offering now judges two priests who went outside

the boundaries God had set. In chapter 10, Nadab and Abihoo were the eldest two of Aaron's four sons. They had been at

the mountain when God gave the Ten Commandments. They had been part of the ordination ceremony. They had seen the

glory of God. They were not outsiders or people who did not know better. They were insiders, sons of the high priest,

trained priests, people who had seen God's power firsthand. And yet on this day, they took their senses, fire pans

used for burning incense, and offered what the Bible calls unauthorized fire or strange fire before the Lord. Fire

that he had not commanded. We do not know exactly what they did wrong. Some scholars believe they used fire from a

source other than the sacred altar fire. Others believe they burned incense at the wrong time or in the wrong way.

Whatever the specific act, the principle is clear. They substituted their own idea of worship for what God had

specifically commanded. God had given detailed, clear instructions about how worship was to be conducted. They went

off script. They improvised. They decided their way was just as good as God's way or perhaps even better. and

fire came out from God and consumed them. Verse three of this chapter is one of the most heartbreaking and profound

verses in all of Leviticus. Moses turns to Aaron and says, "This is what the Lord spoke of when he said, among those

who approach me, I will show myself holy. In the sight of all the people, I will be honored." And Aaron said

nothing. He was silent. As a father who just lost two sons, his silence speaks volumes. I can imagine what was going

through his mind because ah I had lost two kids so I know how it feels to lose two sons at the same time. Ah I share

the story in one of my short you can check it out. He did not argue with God. He did not demand an explanation. He

accepted in devastating grief that God is holy and holiness has consequences. There are some things where all we can

do is be silent before God. God then tells Aaron and his remaining sons, Elizar and Ithamar, not to mourn

publicly. They were not to tear their garments or let their hair become unckempt, as was the custom when

mourning the dead. The community around them could mourn, but the priests could not. This was not cold-heartedness from

God. It was a reminder that the work of ministry cannot stop. Even in personal tragedy, the priesthood had to continue.

The worship could not cease. This is one of the hardest aspects of serving God. Sometimes the calling continues even

through your personal pain. Immediately after this, God gives Aaron a command that seems abrupt but is deeply

connected. Do not drink wine or strong drink, you or your sons, when you go into the tent of meeting.

Many scholars believe that Nadab and Abihoo may have been drunk when they offered the strange fire. Alcohol

impairs judgment, clouds discernment, and makes people think their ideas are better than they are. God was protecting

the integrity of the priesthood. Those who represent him before the people must be clear-headed, sober, and fully in

control of their faculties. This speaks to every person in any position of spiritual leadership today. God

concludes this section by telling Aaron that the purpose of the priesthood is to teach the Israelites the distinction

between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean. The priests were educators in righteousness. They

were not just ritual performers. They were teachers. Their entire lives were to model and teach the standard of God.

This is the calling of every believer today. You are a royal priesthood according to 1 Peter 2:9. Part of your

calling is to live in such a way that people can see the difference between a life lived for God and a life lived

without him. Chapter 10 asks us a hard question. Are you worshiping God his way or your way? It is easy in our culture

to customize everything, including our relationship with God. We decide which parts of scripture we like and follow

those and quietly ignore the parts that challenge us. But the story of Nadab and Abihu is a warning. God's instructions

are not suggestions. He is holy. Approaching him requires reverence, obedience, and humility. This does not

mean walking in fear of God's wrath. If you are in Christ, you are covered by grace. But it does mean approaching him

with awe, not casualness. Let your worship be what he desires, not just what feels comfortable for you. Of all

the chapters in Leviticus, chapter 11 is probably the one that makes people the most confused. God gives the Israelites

a detailed list of what they can and cannot eat. Certain animals, fish, birds, and insects are permitted, while

others are strictly forbidden. Now, before you think this is just an outdated food guide with no relevance

today, stay with me because underneath the dietary laws is one of the most powerful truths in all of scripture

about holiness, identity, and being intentional about what you allow into your life. In chapter 11, God did not

give these dietary restrictions arbitrarily. The repeated reason given throughout this chapter is holiness.

Verse 44 says, "Be holy because I am holy." God said, "Be holy because I am holy." That means God wants his people

to live differently because they belong to him. So he used something very normal, food, to remind them of this

every single day. Every time they ate, they had to remember we are different. We belong to God. They couldn't eat the

same things other nations ate. That reminded them they were set apart. Now about the animals. For an animal to be

allowed clean, it had to meet two rules. It must have split hooves. It must chew the cud. It had to meet both, not just

one. Example, a cow meets both rules. That means the cow is clean. And a pig has split hooves but doesn't chew cud,

which means it is unclean. And a camel chews cud but doesn't have split hooves. It is unclean. The lessons derived from

these animals are these. Doing only half of what God says is not enough. God is saying you have to obey God's rules

completely and don't ignore any part. That's what this part means. For the sea creatures, the rule was direct and

covered. So basically fish were fine, but not all the fish. Some of them are not allowed to be eaten. And the

forbidden ones are shellfish like shrimp, lobster, and crab. For the birds, God listed specific species that

were forbidden. Mostly birds of prey and scavengers because they fed on the death and decay. For the insects, most of the

insects were forbidden, but some of the insects with jointed legs for jumping like locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers

were permitted. The pattern in these distinctions generally points toward creatures that live according to their

created nature versus those associated with death, decay, or the chaotic boundaries between elements. Not only

eating unclean animals was forbidden, but touching their remains or corpses also made a person ceremonially unclean

until evening. They would need to wash their clothes and wait until sundown. Even clean animals if they were killed

like natural death without being properly slaughtered that alone can make a person unclean if touched. The rules

on this food are strict and much. This constant awareness of cleanness and uncleanness created a people who were

intentionally mindful of what they came in contact with. It was a daily physical practice of spiritual discernment. Here

is the question that chapter 11 asks every one of us. What are you taking in every day? What do you feed your mind

with? What content are you consuming? What conversations are you sitting in? What relationships are you allowing to

influence you? Chapter 11 is a challenge to live with intentionality about what you allow into your life. You cannot

control everything that happens around you, but you can be intentional about what you receive, what you engage with,

and what you let settle in your heart and mind. And now, chapter 12. Chapter 12 is one of the shortest chapters in

Leviticus, only eight verses, but it covers a deeply personal topic. what happened spiritually and ceremonially

when an Israelite woman gave birth. It covers the period of purification after childbirth and the offerings that were

to be brought to the Lord. When a woman gave birth to a son, she was ceremonially unclean for 7 days, similar

to the period of uncleanness during menstruation. Then there was a longer period of 33

days where she was purifying. For a daughter, it was 14 days of initial uncleanness and 66 days of purification.

During these periods, she could not touch anything sacred or enter the sanctuary. Now, let us be clear. This

was not because childbirth was sinful or because women were inferior. This was about the physical reality of blood and

the ceremonial system that treated blood as sacred and requiring specific handling. I used to think about why

Celestial Church of Christ likes to tell their women not to enter the church when seeing their monthly flow if the church

wasn't clean, not knowing they are following what was in Leviticus. The period of purification was protective

and restorative, not punitive. On the eighth day, male children were to be circumcised. This was not introduced

here for the first time. God had given this covenant signed to Abraham in Genesis 17. But here it is woven into

the purification laws connecting the birth of a child to the covenant identity of Israel. Every male child

entering the community was marked as belonging to God's covenant people. This act of dedication on the eighth day,

that significant number again was a declaration. This child belongs to God. After the days of purification were

complete, the woman was to bring a burnt offering, a year old lamb, and a sin offering, a young pigeon or dove to the

entrance of the tabernacle. The priest would offer them on her behalf, making atonement for her, and she would be

clean. But here is the provision that made me stop and think, if she could not afford a lamb, she could bring two doves

or two young pigeons, one for the burnt offering and one for the sin offering. And this is exactly what Mary, the

mother of Jesus, brought after his birth. Luke 2:24 records it. A pair of doves or two young pigeons. Mary and

Joseph were poor, but God had made a way for her. Jesus was also dedicated to the law, too. Look at the connection to our

Virgin Mary and Jesus. The son of God, born to a poor young woman in humble circumstances, entered the world under

these very laws. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was brought to the temple in Jerusalem for his dedication.

His parents offered the poor person's offering, two birds. The king of kings entered the world through the same

system designed to accommodate the poorest of the poor. He was born not in a palace, but in a manger. He did not

come to the wealthy and powerful people, but he came to the humble and the lowly. Chapter 12 carries a beautiful message

about the value God places on new life, on mothers, and on dedication. If you are a parent or hope to be one, this

chapter calls you to dedicate your children to God. Not just in a church ceremony, but in daily life. In how you

raise them, the way you pray over them, the way you talk to them, they are in your care. So, they are your

responsibility. And if you feel disqualified from God, maybe something from your past, he has made a provision

for us to come to him. He always makes a way back to him. You are not too far gone. Chapter 13. This chapter is

particularly speaking to anyone who always feels separated. Maybe you have a sickness or anything that makes you feel

like you cannot be among people. This chapter is for you because this chapter in Leviticus talk about skin disease.

When someone develops a suspicious skin condition, they don't self diagnose themselves. They will go to the priest.

Then the priest would examine them carefully. If the condition was clearly spreading and serious, it's just like a

doctor that examine you when you go to the hospital. The person was declared unclean immediately. If it was unclear,

the person was isolated for 7 days, then examined again another 7 days if needed. Then a final determination was made.

This careful, deliberate process was wise. It prevented both the premature labeling of healthy people as unclean

and the dangerous exposure of the community to infectious disease. It required patience and submission to an

authority outside yourself. If the priest declared someone unclean, the consequences were devastating socially.

The person had to tear their clothes, a sign of grief and mourning. They had to leave their hair loose and leave it

unckempt. They had to cover their upper lip just like a person who is mourning. And whenever they walked near others,

they had to call out unclean. Unclean. I laughed here while doing this video and I had to cut that part out because it's

so funny. You can imagine if you have malaria and your doctor had to announce to everyone that you have malaria and

whenever you are walking on the street people have to be shouting unclean is so funny. So if it's HIV and AIDS

people will just start running away like they are chased. So basically the people who are affected had to live outside the

camp separated from family from community from worship from everything. Can you imagine having to announce your

own shame every time you walked near another person? Um the isolation was not just physical.

It was emotional, spiritual and social. It was total. And from a practical standpoint, infectious skin disease in a

desert community with no modern medicine could spread rapidly and be devastating. The caution was necessary for communal

health. But spiritually, it was also illustrating something profound. Sin spreads. Sin contaminates. Sin left

unchecked affects not just the individual, but the entire community. The imagery of someone carrying visible,

spreading uncleanness on their body and having to announce it wherever they went is a powerful picture of how sin

functions when we let it go unchecked. Now towards the end of this chapter, God extends the inspection laws to clothing

and fabric and later in chapter 14 to houses. This particular part of clothing and fabrics got today's generation

talking. They compare it to a tattoo. They often condemn anyone with a tattoo. And those with tattoos and other people

who don't have tattoos would say, "If you are condemning tattoo drawing, then you should also condemn the wearing of

fabrics and clothes." Whenever I hear this, I always laugh because we don't have a clearer understanding of what

this part is actually saying. Here is what the particular part means. If a garment showed signs of a spreading

mildew or contamination, it too was to be inspected and potentially burned. This thoroughess shows us that holiness

is comprehensive. It is not just about internal attitude. While external life is contaminated, God's concern for

holiness extends to the environment we inhabit and the things we clothe ourselves with. Here is where the New

Testament transforms this entire chapter into. In Mark 1, a man with leprosy came to Jesus, breaking all social protocol,

risking rejection and anger from everyone around him. He fell on his knees before Jesus and said, "If you are

willing, you can make me clean." And Jesus instead of stepping back, instead of calling out unclean and commanding

the man to keep his distance, reached out his hand and touched him, he touched the untouchable and he said, "I am

willing, be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him. Jesus did not become unclean by touching the man. Man became

clean by being touched by Jesus. Jesus didn't run away from the man because he was unclean. Instead, he made him clean.

And that's what God is trying to tell us. God is not saying we shouldn't wear clothes or fabrics. He's basically

saying we should stay away from things that are not clean and be clean. Chapter 13 speaks to everyone who has ever felt

marked, isolated, like there was something about them that separated them from where they wanted to be. Maybe it