Unit 3: Leviticus: .. and the Lord said to Moses

• Week 1: The Five sacrifices
• Week 2: The Priestly Ministry Begins
• Week 3: Clean and Unclean
• Week 4: The Day of Atonement
• Week 5: Feasts of the Lord

Week 1: The Five sacrifices

The Five Sacrifices: Leviticus 1-7

Objective: 

• The Burnt Offering

• The Grain Offering

• The Peace Offering

• The Sin Offering

• The Trespass Offering

• The Portion of Aaron and His Sons

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary

Reading:

• Leviticus 1: 1-17
  
• Leviticus 2: 1-13
• Leviticus 3: 1-11
• Leviticus 4: 1-21
• Leviticus 5: 1-5
• Leviticus 6: Skip
• Leviticus 7: 28-38

Key verse(s):

"When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock of the herd and of the flock." Leviticus 1:2

Comments:

• God instructed Moses about the five sacrifices.
• The reason there are multiple sacrifices and many laws regarding each sacrifice shows that God loves order and organization.
• A summary of the sacrifices:

  

  

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Why did God divide the Burnt offerings into three categories of animals? 
2. What is the importance of including salt in the Grain Offering?
3. What is the meaning of a Peace Offering?
4. What portion of the offering belongs to the priest who makes the atonement in case of:
   a) a Burnt Offering b) a Peace Offering
5. Briefly summarize the purpose of each of the offerings mentioned in these chapters.

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. The burnt sacrifice pleases God for it is:
   a) presented at the tabernacle b) an expensive offering c) a sweet aroma to the Lord d) given by the priests
2. Every offering of grain shall have:
   a) leaven b) honey c) salt d) frankincense
3. A sacrifice of Peace Offering shall be killed:
   a) on the altar b) at the door of the Tabernacle of Meeting c) at the north gate d) at the south gate
4. If the anointed priest sins he shall offer as a Sin Offering:
   a) a goat b) a bull c) a kid of the goats d) a lamb

Week 2: The Priestly Ministry Begins

Objective: 

• Moses anoints Aaron and his sons as well as the tabernacle too
• The Profane Fire of Nadab and Abihu 
• The difference between Holy and common (focus the lesson on this concept)

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary

Reading:

• Leviticus 8:1-21, 31-36
• Leviticus 9:1-7, 22-24
• Leviticus 10:1-11

Key verse(s):

"By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” Leviticus 10:3

Comments:

• God established the Aaronic Priesthood 
• The role of the priest is to speak to God on behalf of the people (compare with the role of the priest now)
• The role of the prophet is to deliver to the people God's message 
• Compare what Moses did with the rite of the priest ordination now (As the Lord commanded)
• The Lord's wrath was aroused against Aaron's sons for not distinguishing between what is Holy and what is common (Be careful towards what is Holy)
• The Lord commands not to drink alcohol or intoxicating drinks
• Share the pictures of the vestments with the youth 
• 
  

  

  
  

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Of the five known kinds of offerings which one was not offered on the eighth day of the consecration?
2. Who announced to the people that the Lord will appear to them?
3. Why were Nadab and Abihu offering considered profane?
4. What does God ask of His worshippers?
   
5. Briefly list the main steps in the ordination of a high priest.
   
6. How does God show His approval of the people's worship?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. How many animals were killed on the day of the consecration of Aaron and his sons?
   a) one b) two c) three d) four
2. The number of days of consecration were:
   a) three days b) one day c) seven days d) four days
3.  What did Moses sprinkle on Aaron and his sons to consecrate them?
   
4. The glory of the Lord appeared to:
   a) Aaron b) Moses c) the people d) all of the these
5. When the people saw the fire sent by the Lord:
   a) They shouted and fell on their faces b) they ran away c) they blamed Moses d) they sang and dance
6. The names of Aaron's sons who were devoured by fire were __________ and _________.
7. The Lord said to Aaron, "Do not drink ________ when you go into the Tabernacle of Meeting." 
8. What was the punishment of Nadab and Abihu?
   

Week 3: Clean and Unclean

Objective: 

• Focus is on the purity of the flesh

• These became the main issues and debates among scribes and Pharisees, and the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked them for it

• Cleanness and uncleanness are related to holiness

• Clean and unclean divided Jews and Gentiles (most important)

• Clean and unclean is different in the Old Testament from the New Testament

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary

Reading:

• Leviticus 11-15
  • Leviticus 11:1-20, 44-47
  • Leviticus 12 & 15:1-3, 13-16, 29-30  (together)
  • Leviticus 13 & 14 - Explain, do not read.

Key verse(s):

"be holy; for I am holy." Leviticus 11:44

Comments:

• Leviticus 11 (Animals)
  • Why is one clean and another not?
  • Many unclean animals (e.g. pigs) were used in pagan ritual and worship
  • Symbolic that man should imitate God
  • Sovereign Choice
  • This idea existed in Genesis
    • Noah took 2 of every unclean and 7 of every clean animal
  • The Lord Jesus taught the true meaning of cleanness and uncleanness (Read Mark 15:11 & Mark 15:17-20)
  • The idea was abolished in Acts 11
    • “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”–“What God has cleansed you must not call common"
• Leviticus 12&15 (Bodily discharges)
  • What are considered unclean?
    • Discharges of blood from a woman
    • Any discharge from a man
  • Why are they considered unclean?
    • God wanted to separate sex from religious worship because the pagan nations combined the two
    • Normal intimate relations during marriage are not a sin, but they must be separated from religious worship
  • Why 80 days for a girl and 40 for a boy?
    • 40 days is enough time for postpartum hemorrhage to stop. Doubling the period serves to remind us that the woman was the first to fall into temptation and introduce sin into the world
  • Does the Church consider girls unclean?
    • Absolutely not.
    • Having a menstrual cycle does not make you unclean–this is the Old Testament way of thinking.
    • Sin makes us unclean.
    • However, it is not proper to approach the Body and Blood of Christ when I am bleeding (male or female) or have had a discharge (male or female).
    • We must be pure in soul, body and spirit to receive the Mysteries
      
    • How the Lord Jesus dealt with that issue - Read Luke 8:43-4
• Leviticus 13 & 14 (Leprosy)
  • 21 different cases of skin disease in Chapter 13, 3 cases of garments
    • They are all visible, external (not internal diseases)
    • They are not fatal
    • They affected part of the body not all of it
    • They are all chronic, contagious, or contaminating
    • Only the priest could declare a skin condition clean or unclean
    • The concern is not curing the individual, or protecting public health, but protecting the sanctity of the Tabernacle: the dwelling of God.
    • Unclean things are either washed with water, burned with fire, broken, or torn down and demolished
    • Cleansing process involved ritual cleansings, sacrifices, other rituals
• Conclude with this:
  • Uncleanness in the NT (Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1.  God gives a clear reason why we should not defile ourselves. What is that reason?
2. What incident is mentioned in the New Testament where God permitted eating all kinds of animals?
3. The Lord Jesus Christ taught that uncleanness comes not from food, but from within. Give verse from the
   New Testament.  
4. Why a woman is considered unclean after giving birth?
5. God asked that the offering made by a woman giving birth to a male or female child be the same. Why?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Circle the animals that are considered unclean.
   a) cow b) camel c) hare d) swine e) goat
2. Whatever in the water does not have _______ or _______ shall be an abomination to you.
3. What are 3 examples of prohibited birds?
4. What specific characteristic in an insect makes it permissible to eat?
5. The days of purification of a woman giving birth to a male child are:
   a) two weeks b) 33 days c) 7 days d) 40 days
6. A woman giving birth to a male child should offer to God the same offering as if she had a female child.
   Circle True or false.
7. What kind of offering is presented to God for the birth of a child?
8. Who diagnosed the lepers?
   a) the doctor b) Moses c) the congregation d) the priest

Week 4: The Day of Atonement

Objective: 

• The rite of the Day of Atonement

• The Sacraments of Confession 
• The Symbolism of Christ in that day 
• The Sanctity of blood and symbolism of the Blood of Christ

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary

Reading:

• Leviticus 16-17

Key verse(s):

"This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” Leviticus 16:34

Comments:

The day of Atonement

1. Aaron should remove his normal priestly garments, wash himself, and  then put on the special garments for entering the Holy of Holies
2. Aaron secured the necessary animals (a bull for his own sin offering, two male goats for the people’s sin offering, two rams for the two burnt offerings)
3. Aaron slaughtered the bull for his own sin offering
4. Aaron creates a cloud of incense in the Holy of Holies, covering the mercy seat to “veil” the glory of God and spare his life
5. Aaron took some of the blood of the bull and sprinkled it on the mercy seat seven times
   
6. Lots are cast for the two goats to determine which would be slaughtered and which would be driven away
7. The goat for slaughter is the goat of the people’s sin offering. It is sacrificed and its blood is taken to the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat.
8. The blood of the bull and goat is sprinkled in the Holy Place and on the horns of the altar of incense
9. The second goat is released outside the camp, carrying the sins of the nation symbolically laid on its head
10. Aaron entered the tent, removed his garments, washed himself and put on his normal priestly garments
11. The burnt offerings of rams are now offered. One for Aaron and his family, and one for the people
12. The sin offerings are completed by burning the fat of the skins and burning the remains of the bull and goat
13. Those who handled the animals on which the sins of Aaron or the people were laid were to go and wash themselves and then return to camp

• The people played an active role in the Day of Atonement even though they were observing a Sabbath rest.
• The Vestments of the Priest
  • The normal vestments were colorful, with many stones and jewelry and gold–made to look like a king.
  • On the Day of Atonement, the priest looked more like a slave when he went before the presence of God
  • In the presence of God, even the high priest is stripped of all honor: he becomes simply the servant of the King of kings
  • The Day of Atonement was a time for the priest to confess before God the sins of the nation.
  • We can see the Sacrament of Confession

Symbolism of Christ

• Putting off luxurious clothes is a symbol of Christ who emptied Himself with His incarnation.
• Wearing white clothes and frequent washing are symbols of Christ’s purity and righteousness.
• This day was repeated every year, as if the period of the year indicated the period of Christ’s physical stay on earth.
• At the end of the year, that is, the end of Christ’s life on earth, He offered himself as an atonement for our sins
• The entry of the high priest into the Holy of Holies symbolizes that Christ carries us to the Father
• The high priest’s intercession on behalf of the people is Christ’s intercession for us, an atoning intercession.
• When the High Priest enters the Holy Place, all the people look to the Holy Place, waiting for his coming out. Thus, we look to heaven, waiting for the appearance of Christ in His second coming.

Chapter 17 - The Sanctity of Blood

• Putting off luxurious clothes is an indication of Christ’s self-emptying.

  Wearing white clothes and frequent washing are symbols of Christ’s purity and righteousness.

  This day was repeated every year, as if the period of the year indicated the period of Christ’s physical stay on earth.

  At the end of the year, that is, the end of Christ’s life on earth, he offered himself as an atonement for our sins.

  The entry of the high priest into the Holy of Holies symbolizes that Christ carries us into the arms of his Father.

  The high priest’s intercession on behalf of the people is Christ’s intercession for us, an atoning intercession.

  When the High Priest enters the Holy Place, all the people look to the Holy Place, waiting for his second coming out. Thus, we look to heaven, waiting for the appearance of Christ in his second coming.

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1.  The Day of Atonement was the only day on which the High Priest entered the Holy of Holiest. What
   were the requirements for him to enter?
2. Two goats were presented on the Day of Atonement: what happened to each of them?
3. Give verse in the New Testament that has the same meaning as verse 11.
4. Why forbid the eating of animals that died naturally?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. The scapegoat is the goat that is:
   a) killed as a sacrifice b) burnt c) released into the wilderness d) served as food for Aaron
2. The Day of Atonement was celebrated on the __________ month, on the ________ day of the month.
3. How often was the Day of Atonement celebrated?
4. How was a scapegoat chosen?
5.  The life of the flesh is in the __________.
6. A person is allowed to eat an animal that died naturally. True or false?
7. Where should all the sacrifices be brought?
8. Only men from the House of Israel are allowed to offer sacrifices. True or false?

Week 5: Feasts of the Lord

Objective: 

1. Review the commandments in chapter 19 and relate them to our lives
2. Review the Feasts of the Lord and how the Lord wants us to participate in feasts (church feasts too)
3. Learn the year of Jubilee and the law concerning slavery (how the Bible does not condone slavery as some claim)
4. Read Gods promises to those who keep His commandments in chapter 26 and also His warnings 

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary

Reading:

• Leviticus 18: Skip
• Leviticus 19:1-17
• Leviticus 20-22:skip
• Leviticus 23: All
• Leviticus 24: skip
• Leviticus 25: All
• Leviticus 26: All
• Leviticus 27: skip

Key verse(s):

"‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:3

Comments: 

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Which laws show compassion for the poor?
2. Which of these commandments were included in the Ten Commandments mentioned in the Holy Book
   of Exodus 20? Match them.
3. Which laws show compassion for the poor?
4. Which of these commandments were included in the Ten Commandments mentioned in the Holy Book of Exodus 20? Match them.
5. What commandments God gave that show His special care for the poor?
6. What is the New Testament name for the "Feast of the Weeks"?
7. How would the Feast of Tabernacles remind the Israelites of their wilderness journey?
8. Name the Seven feasts mentioned in this chapter and the purpose for celebrating each of them.
9. What promises did God make to the Israelites in v. 18-22 and what were the conditions on which the promises rested
10. List four things that took place during the year of Jubilee.
11. What was the difference between the Jubilee year and an ordinary Sabbath year?
12. Does God promote slavery? Explain

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. You shall love your neighbor as _________.
2. When you plant trees for food you can eat from their fruits on:
   a) the 1st year b) the 3rd year c) the 4th year d) the 5th year
3. Why should we be holy?
4. Give verse that proves we should respect the elders.
5. Which day came right after the Passover? a) the Sabbath b) the Feast of Unleavened Bread c) the Feast of the First Fruits d) the Feast of the Weeks
6. The ____________ and ______________ are two of the feasts celebrated on the seventh month
7. When can the grain of the new harvest be eaten?
8. Name the feasts celebrated on the seventh month?
9. The year of Jubilee is celebrated on the: a) 7th year b) 10th year c) 25th year d) 50th year
10. A slave can serve his master until the ________ of _________.
11. What feast is celebrated every 50 years?
12. What would the people of Israel eat if they can't sow nor gather produce on the 7th year?
13. What was the condition God made when lending to the poor?