Leviticus

Michael A. Harbin and Mark C. Biehl, Leviticus (Kerux)

Harbin, Michael A., and Mark C. Biehl. Leviticus. A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching. Kerux Commentaries. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Ministry, 2024. 458 pp. Hb. $39.99   Link to Kregel Ministry  

The Kerux commentary series pairs an exegete and pastor to provide a detailed exegetical commentary alongside preaching strategies. In this new commentary on Leviticus, Michael A. Harbin (professor emeritus of biblical studies at Taylor University) writes the exegetical portion. Harbin previously published To Serve Other Gods: An Evangelical History of Religion (University Press of America, 1994) and a Bible survey, The Promise and the Blessing: A Historical Survey of the Old and New Testaments (Zondervan, 2005). In addition, he has contributed several articles to academic journals on the year of Jubilee. Mark C. Biehl offers preaching outlines and presentation tips based on Harbin’s exegesis. Biehl serves as lead pastor of Upland Community Church in Upland, Indiana.

Leviticus Commentary Kerux

Harbin begins with the observation that Leviticus is part of Israel’s foundational documents and the core of a “socioeconomic-judicial-political-religious system designed not only to govern Israel but to transform it into a kingdom of priests who would mediate between God and the world and set the stage for the coming Messiah, who would redeem reconcile the world to himself” (9). This makes Leviticus one of the most challenging books of the Old Testament for Christian preachers and teachers. How does a Christian read and apply these laws appropriately? Biehl says Leviticus addresses two key questions: what does it mean to worship a holy God? What does it mean to love our neighbor? “The answers to these questions are incomplete without a deep dive into Leviticus” (12).

In the fifty-two-page introduction, Harbin assumes the traditional authorship: Moses wrote Leviticus in 1445 BC, based on an early date for Exodus. He has a detailed chart for his chronology on page 157). Several sidebars argue for Moses as an author, addressing such questions as “Could Moses Write?” Harbin argued in more detail for the date of the Exodus in the spring of 1446 in his The Promise and the Blessing (Zondervan, 2005).

The bulk of the introduction is a theology of the book of Leviticus (pages 34-82). Harbin suggests that Israel was uniquely situated to be a kingdom of priests. As a result, their worship has some affinity with the cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, there are significant differences, primarily in Israel’s covenant responsibilities and the anticipation of future divine redemption. These covenant responsibilities focus on social justice and the right relations within the community.

The first major section of this theology of Leviticus concerns sacrifice as worship. Since modern Western Christians do not sacrifice the first third of Leviticus, it needs careful explanation. He offers an excellent theology of sacrifice, observing that sacrifices are not just to atone for sin. Some sacrifices celebrate what God has done or are made in response to a vow. He describes the need for sin offerings as well as the theology behind them, including atonement, expiation, and propitiation. This section has a richly detailed study of the relevant Hebrew vocabulary.

The second major theological theme for Leviticus is holiness. Harbin wants to avoid an etymological fallacy where holiness means sacred, consecrated, etc. He follows Rudolph Otto (1958): holiness is a complex response to a mysterium tremendum. This mysterious holiness hints at a reality behind the physical and the concrete (51). Harbin uses the analogy of Isaiah’s throne room vision. Isaiah encountered the “numinous holiness” of God and immediately felt unclean. A careful study of God’s holiness leads to the moral and ethical teaching of the book. Citing Jacob Milgrom, “Emulation of God’s holiness demands following the ethics associated with his divine nature (Leviticus 1-16, 731). Holiness has ethical and moral dimensions, but what is meant by “moral”? For Israel, the standard for morality is the Torah, as outlined in the 10 Commandments and developed throughout the Pentateuch. Harbin sees a connection between proper actions and the love of the Lord, and the love of neighbors. “Leviticus has a focus on “social justice, suggesting morality as a corporate concept” (53).

The third key theological issue in Leviticus is the idea of clean and unclean. Like sacrifice, this concept is difficult to explain to modern Western Christians. The word unclean refers to something associated with ordinary, everyday life. Older translations used the word “profane,” but this word has negative connotations in modern English. Clean has the connotation of purity concerning worship. Uncleanliness may result from sin, but this is often not the case. Leviticus 11-15 describes many unclean conditions that are not the result of sin. Harbin, therefore, talks about a “cleanliness spectrum” (58). Something “common” may be clean or unclean. It might be made unclean through contact with cleanliness but can be made clean through some ritual. Harbin suggests we should not seek an overarching rationale for the cleanliness laws. For example, eating pig is unclean. Pastors often try to associate this with the difficulty of preparing a pig to be eaten in the ancient world. This may not be the case. We should also not assume that Israel understood the rationale for the cleanliness laws. Complicating the teaching and preaching of the cuddliness codes is that much of this material has been annulled in the New Testament. For Christian Christians, clean and unclean foods are no longer important. Hygiene is important, but a ritual state of cleanliness is not. Harbin suggests a principle: our lifestyles differ from the culture from which we come (62).

The introduction covers several other issues. Harbin discusses the life and soul of both animals and humans (flesh, mind, will, emotions). He introduces the structure of the priesthood and the Levi, the biblical families who served in the Tabernacle. The introduction also includes an introduction to holy days and salvation history. Here, Harbin surveys the festivals in Leviticus with an eye to their fulfillment in the New Testament. “The festivals appear to be links to the New Testament and eschatology,” but they are not designed with predictive elements (82). This avoids the often wild eisegetical interpretations of the festivals connecting them to the end times.

The commentary is divided into sixteen preaching units in two major sections: guidelines for personal and corporate worship of a holy God (Lev 1-10) and guidelines for developing and preserving a holy nation (Lev 11-27).  The exegetical portion of the commentary focuses on the Hebrew text. Hebrew is left untransliterated, and most grammatical and tactical issues are dealt with through sidebars entitled “Translation Analysis.” These notes are frequent and often interact with other exegetical commentaries. Since the commentary is aimed at pastors and Bible teachers, the commentary often compares major English translations.

Like other Kerux commentaries, there are many sidebars scattered throughout the book. Some of these are quite lengthy. The sidebar on the Tabernacle Furnishings is three total pages. Other examples of lengthy sidebars include Urim and Thummim, The Colors Blue, Purple, and Scarlet, The High Priest’s Breastplate, Shekel (weight), and Cooking and Cooking Apparatuses. Most of these grey-boxed sidebars are brief paragraphs. There are also several valuable charts (for example, Feasts and the New Covenant, the Priestly Garments). The commentary also includes seven appendices (presumably, they were sidebars that were too long for the body of the commentary). These include Molech, Gleaning, herem, Slaves and Emancipation in Israel, The Year of Jubilee, Land Measurement and Crop Values, Vows, and the Nazarites (pgs. 421-448). For the lengthy sidebar on clean and unclean foods, it was unnecessary to include photographs of the animals (we all know what a rabbit looks like).

Preaching strategies begin with a brief Exegetical Idea, Theological Focus, and Preaching Idea. These short sentences synthesize the commentary into basic ideas to guide sermon preparation. This is followed by two paragraphs labeled “preaching pointers,” summarizing the direction of a sermon for each section of Leviticus. Mark Biehl also offers some suggestions for creativity in presentation. Sometimes, these include references to history, literature, or pop culture. Biehl gives a short outline of key application points to include in a sermon or Bible lesson and a few discussion questions (sometimes as many as ten).

Conclusion. This commentary on Leviticus is worth the price for Harbin’s introduction and excellent sidebars and appendices. Commentaries on Leviticus are sometimes influenced by later rabbinic discussion and application of Leviticus. Other (Christian) commentaries are driven by Christology, using typology to find Jesus in every sacrifice, feast, or coloring in the Tabernacle. Harbin and Biehl avoid these by focusing on the text of Leviticus and explaining it in a way that will serve pastors and Bible teachers who want to accurately communicate this important (yet overlooked) book.

 

NB: Thanks to Kregel for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

 

Other volumes reviewed in this series:

 

Gary A. Anderson, That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative

Anderson, Gary A. That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2023. xvi+254 pp. Hb; $35.99.  Link to Eerdmans

Gary Anderson in Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at the University of Notre Dame. His previous books include Sin: A History (Yale University Press, 2010) and Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition (Yale University Press, 2013). Like his The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination (WJKP, 2001), That I May Dwell Among Them carefully examines a theme from the Old Testament that is related to later Christian theology. Rather than start with incarnation and atonement in the New Testament and then “salvage” the Tabernacle narrative, Anderson starts with the Old Testament text. He develops what the Tabernacle narrative says about God dwelling with his people and providing atonement before he moves forward to the New Testament and Christian theology. Throughout the book, Anderson is guided by Brevard Child’s canonical method, which enables him to see connections between Leviticus and the creation story (see, for example, the citation of Childs on page 161).

Tabernacle Narrative

The Tabernacle narrative is tedious, repetitive, and difficult for many Christian readers to read. Aside from popular studies that overuse (and abuse) typology, most Christian readers ignore this section of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Anderson suggests this is unfortunate, especially since the gospel of John uses tabernacle language (Exodus 25) to describe the “word became flesh.” The purpose of the Word becoming flesh is to reveal God’s glory, a consistent theme with Exodus 40:34–35. Anderson’s book argues the Tabernacle revealed God’s glory and presence to Israel. The Tabernacle Narrative is a large section of the Pentateuch: Exodus is devoted to the building of the Tabernacle, Leviticus 1-10 to the service of the Tabernacle, and Numbers 1-10 to how the Tabernacle guided Israel to Canaan.

A chapter briefly overviewing the reception of the Tabernacle narrative Christian Bible sets the agenda for the book. On the theological level, how do we better understand the person of Jesus in the light of the Tabernacle? How can the sacrificial system shed light on Jesus’s sacrifice? He returns to these themes in the book’s final two chapters (on incarnation and atonement). To make these theological observations, Anderson provides a detailed study of the Tabernacle Narrative.

The second chapter is devoted to the inauguration of the Tabernacle. Anderson connects creation and the Garden of Eden to the Tabernacle, as is common in biblical theology today. However, he observes a similar “pattern of sevens” in the creation and Tabernacle Narrative. God speaks to create in Exodus 25–39. God speaks to Moses to do seven things leading up to the erection of the Tabernacle (Exodus 40). This pattern of sevens is seen again in the ordination of the priests (Leviticus 8). Exodus is focused on the structure of the Tabernacle, while Leviticus is focused on its altar and service. For this reason, Anderson suggests the temple Tabernacle narrative has two climaxes. In Exodus, the furniture and other implements are front and center. Leviticus describes the altar and the sacrifices.

Chapters 3 and 4 (Seeing God and Serving God) describe the divine presence in Numbers 4, and the tamid sacrifices in Exodus 29. Anderson carefully studies the Levitical families who cared for the tabernacle and its furniture. The Ark of the Covenant is the main sign of God’s presence, that God “really dwells in the Tabernacle” (59). Looking at the sacred things in the Tabernacle is similar to some aspects of seeing God. Although Anderson does not mention it, it is possible that the description of the Tabernacle in Exodus is a form of ekphrasis (a literary genre describing a static image, usually a piece of art). Both chapters include the Second Temple period reception of the Tabernacle Narrative. The theme of “seeing” is found in Jewish coinage from the Bar Kokhba Revolt depicting the temple (65–66). He introduces the tamid sacrifice by describing a carpet mosaic from a synagogue at Sepphoris depicting Aaron’s first sacrifice. In addition, he includes references to the Tabernacle and temple in the Dead Sea scrolls in Rabbinic literature. Anderson includes examples from post-biblical sources in both cases because they “build upon a foundation that is deeply biblical” (67).

Chapters 5 and 6 discuss the theophany in Leviticus 9. All four sons of Aaron commit errors, but Moses reprimands only two of them. Anderson sees a connection with creation theology here. He argues a “textual chasm” exists between Leviticus 8-9. Leviticus 8 lays out the offering details, and then Leviticus 9 begins the liturgical process (114). The priests begin to act on their own, but they immediately suffer their “first accident” (117). Leviticus 10 describes Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron who offered “strange fire” before the Lord, and fire came from the Lord and consumed them (Lev 10:1–2). There is no consensus on what exactly they did wrong. Anderson observes that this is much like Cain and Abel. As soon as creation is finished, there is a sacrifice, and God rejects a sacrifice.

Chapters 7 and 8 discuss the priestly narrative in the larger canonical setting. First, Anderson discusses the golden calf incident (Exodus 32). The golden calf story is likely from a different source and was inserted at this point for theological reasons. By venerating the golden calf, the people spurn the type of sanctuary described in the previous chapters of Exodus and its worship. Although Anderson does not state this, this is like Jeroboam, who rejected Solomon’s Temple and returned to worship of the golden calf (1 Kings 12:25-33). Anderson has a long citation from Karl Barth, which mentions Jeroboam (158), but his main interest is connecting this story to Genesis and original sin. The second larger canonical connection Anderson draws is to Genesis 22 in the binding of Isaac. He points out several potential allusions to Isaac’s binding in Moses’s intercession prayers, especially Exodus 32. Moses’s prayers always look back to the “unilateral and unconditional offer on God’s part to Abraham” (164). Using the Aramaic Levi document, Anderson grounds the tamid in the story of the binding of Isaac. He also references rabbinic literature and the mosaic at Sepphoris as other examples of Second Temple (and later) connections between the tamid and the binding of Isaac.

Conclusion. Anderson’s That I May Dwell Among Them is a rich study of the Tabernacle Narrative. By drawing canonical connections back to Genesis, he demonstrates the original creation story shapes this somewhat obscure material. By drawing canonical connections forward to the New Testament, he makes reasonable application of the Tabernacle narrative to theological issues such as incarnation and atonement.

 

NB: Thanks to Eerdmans for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

 

Book Review: L. Michael Morales, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?

Morales, L. Michael. Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus. New Studies in Biblical Theology 37. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2015. 190 pgs., Pb.; $22.00 Link to IVP

In this contribution to the NSBT series, L. Michael Morales examines the theology of the often overlooked book of Leviticus as the center of the Pentateuch. Morales begins by describing the placement of the Lampstand and the Table of the Presence in the Tabernacle. The Lampstand appears to have been intentionally placed to shine light on the bread arranged on the table in order to visually portray God’s intention that his people should live continually in his presence. The book of Leviticus is about “dwelling with God in the house of God” (20). In the first chapter of the book Morales argues the Pentateuch is “shaped as a journey led by YHWH to himself at Mount Sinai” (37) where Israel is given the house of the Lord, the Tabernacle. Leviticus stands at the center of the Pentateuch in order to instruct God’s people how they may “ascend the mountain of the Lord” and live in the presence of the glory of their God.

Morales, Who may ascend the moountain of God?Humans are unable to live in the presence of God because of the rebellion of Eden. In the second chapter of the book Morales describes this “longing for Eden” as the foreground for reading Leviticus as the center of the Pentateuch. God created Eden as a mountain temple in which humans were placed to worship God and Genesis itself provides a “cultic cosmology” as humans move away from life within the order of Creation to death and chaos (49). Adam becomes an exile from God’s presence and wanders east, prevent from returning to the presence of God by cherubim. Because of their rebellion, humans are exiled from the presence of God in Eden and cannot return to God’s presence.

Israel has an opportunity to “Return to Eden” in the book of Exodus (Chapter 3). The narrative context of Leviticus stands on the foundation of the redeemed people of God passing through the through the waters of chaos as they are led to the mountain of God. The goal of Israel’s redemption from Egypt was worship at the house of God (82) at another mountain of God, Sinai (86). There is a crisis at this point since no one is able to ascend the Mountain of the Lord. Only Moses is permitted to go up Sinai in his role as mediator. For Morales, the mountain represents approaching God in worship (89).

The Tabernacle is introduced after the covenant in Exodus (Exod 25-40). The Tabernacle is the way back to the living in the presence of God, but the book of Exodus ends with a another crisis: no one is able to enter the Tabernacle because it is filled with the Glory of God (Exod 40:35).

This crisis is answered by the book of Leviticus. In chapters 4-6 Morales demonstrates that the overall structure of Leviticus is a way of dealing with the uncleanliness which separates man from God, with the Day of Atonement at the center of not only Leviticus, but the whole Petnateuch. Leviticus 1-8 describe the sacrificial cult as a journey back to the presence of God, yet there is another crisis in Leviticus 9-10. At the very moment Israel experiences the presence of God and the priest begin their sacrificial ministry, Nadab and Abihu make unauthorized sacrifices and fall under God’s judgment (Lev 10). Morales suggests Nadab and Abihu may have drunkenly attempted to go past the veil which separates the glory of God from the people (149). They were unfit to be in God’s presence, so Leviticus 11-15 represents a “cleansing the house of God.”

For many Bible readers, the laws on clean and unclean in Leviticus 11-15 seem random and focused on matters which are not related to real spirituality. But as Morales points out, these chapters describe what it means to be clean, or “fit for the Presence of God” and what it means to be holy, or “belonging to God.” Things that are profane cause uncleanliness and therefore separate humans from God. They can be made clean, and clean things can be sanctified so they are fit for God’s presence. The Tabernacle is therefore a “sacred bubble . . . set within a sea of uncleanliness” (161). The most important demonstration of this concept is the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. On this day, an Adam-like priest approaches the presence of God with blood of atonement and the way back to the Lord is opened. This is a reversal of Adam’s expulsion to the east as the priest walks past the cherubim guarding the way back to Eden, For Morales, this is a “liturgical drama” (176). But there is also a sacred geography present on the Day of Atonement as well: the scapegoat carries sin into the wilderness, back to the chaos of non-creation (179).

This reentry into the divine presence is the key to understanding Israel’s call to holiness in Leviticus 17-22. Returning to the symbolism of the lampstand and bread of the Presence, Israel is to continually live in the light of God. The purpose of the lengthy “holiness code” is to deal with the crisis of uncleanliness which might prevent Israel from experiencing the presence of God. The goal in this unit is always communion and fellowship with God.

Having described Leviticus as the center of the Pentateuch, Morales traces the movement from Sinai and the tabernacle to Zion and Solomon’s Temple (chapter 7). Zion will be the mountain of God when Israel finally enters the land, but Morales sees the place of Abraham’s sacrifice (Moriah) as pointing ahead to Zion. Unlike Sinai, Zion will be the permanent place of God’s habitation (227), even though Israel’s unfaithfulness results in another “exile to the east.” After the exile Israel will return to Zion as a new Eden, citing Isaiah 51:3 (237). The prophets also look forward to a future when God’s presence will return to a “new Zion” (255).

This prophetic expectation leads Morales to conclude the book with an intra-canonical reading of his “drama of Leviticus,” from the earthly Zion to the heavenly Mount Zion. For the Gospel of John, the incarnation is the means by which God dwells once again with his people (260) and the sacrifice of Jesus at Passover deals with the ultimate uncleanliness separating humans from the glory of God. This is perhaps the weakest point in Morales’s typology, since in Leviticus it was the Day of Atonement which opened access to God, not the Passover. This is of course a problem for any attempt to create a typology between the Law and Jesus. But Morales is able to make the connection because the original the Passover provided redemption for Israel and brought then to Sinai; the new Passover initiates a new exodus in the Resurrection (277). Ultimately the eschaton will be the decent of the messianic kingdom to earth (299). Revelation 20-21 include a great deal of Eden language, including the Tree of Life.

Conclusion. Morales has contributed a very readable book on the theology of Leviticus. He places Leviticus in its immediately canonical context as the center of the Pentateuch. Although he does not develop his thesis for Numbers and Deuteronomy in as much detail as for Genesis and Exodus, it is clear the book of Leviticus is designed around the Day of Atonement as the means by which access to God is opened for Israel.

Since he attempts to read the theme of “ascending the mountain of God” across the canon, I would have expected Isaiah 2 and 25:6-8 to be more important to the argument of the book. Both texts refer to gathering of all the nations to the mountain of God in the eschatological age to worship in the presence of God. This shortcoming is a result of a limited section on the prophets, so it is understandable that he is unable to cover all of the reference to mountains in the prophets.

I have one minor problem with the book, and that is the overuse of the word “drama” as a metaphor for the book of Leviticus and the plotline of the Pentateuch. I understand this is a popular way to describe the movement of a book in biblical studies, but it has become an overused metaphor.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book not only for those interested in Leviticus, but also for the theology of the Pentateuch.

NB: Thanks to InterVarsity Press for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.