January 2008 Leviticus Class
Leviticus Syllabus and Class Materials
This class continues our work our way through the Torah ("Pentateuch"). I recognize that many people have difficulty understanding the context and application of the many Old Testament Laws, let alone the entire books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. However, through the Law, we can observe God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, the only One to ever keep the Law in its entirety. So, although this course will be challenging, it should be well worth it! From this class, I hope that you will have a better understanding not only of "what would Jesus do?" but also "why Jesus would do it."
Although the context of Leviticus operates in Theocratic Israel (which has not existed since the 70 AD), the book still has tremendous relevance to us in this present day and age. Using both Old and New Testament sources, we will attempt to answer the question: “What kind of worship does the true God desire?” The format of the series will be interactive. To prepare for each class, I will post biblical readings for class discussion through my website: www.biblicaltheology.us. Like in previous classes, we will discuss the readings using the Socratic Method.
Class #1 - The Golden Calf Having come from Egypt, the land of slavery, Israel had some perverse ideas on both who God was and how to worship Him.. For example, the Golden Calf Incident in Exodus 32 demonstrated that Israel considered God (YHWH) to be some sort of a bull-like deity. Consequently, Israel fell into the same “worship pattern” of pagan Egypt, worshipping God through pagan sacrifices, singing, dancing, and false praise.
Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #1
Class #2 - A Kingdom of Priests Because of the Golden Calf episode and Egypt’s pagan influence on Israel, God created barriers between the Israelites and pagan idolatry by regulating worship [Lev 1-10], sanitation [Lev 12-15], sexual relationships [Lev 18, 20], sacrifices [Lev 20], holidays [Lev 23], and even diet [Lev 11]! God did this to keep Israel holy, meaning set apart and consecrated to God Himself. Thus, Israel existed in a unique Theocracy with God Himself as King who governed and regulated Theocratic Israel. This begs the question: “In our complex, pluralistic society, how should we Christians live with our non-Christian neighbors?” To answer this question as well as understand the fulfillment of various Levitical laws, we will examine the Jesus’ encounter with the woman with a discharge [Mat 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48].
Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #2
Class #3 - Be Holy The end of the 10 Commandments is Holiness. “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” [Lev 11:45]. Arguably, Holiness is God’s preeminent characteristic. In this class, we will develop a basic theology of holiness to better understand the Holy One of Israel.
Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #3
Class #4 – Questions and Review or TBD
This class continues our work our way through the Torah ("Pentateuch"). I recognize that many people have difficulty understanding the context and application of the many Old Testament Laws, let alone the entire books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. However, through the Law, we can observe God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, the only One to ever keep the Law in its entirety. So, although this course will be challenging, it should be well worth it! From this class, I hope that you will have a better understanding not only of "what would Jesus do?" but also "why Jesus would do it."
Although the context of Leviticus operates in Theocratic Israel (which has not existed since the 70 AD), the book still has tremendous relevance to us in this present day and age. Using both Old and New Testament sources, we will attempt to answer the question: “What kind of worship does the true God desire?” The format of the series will be interactive. To prepare for each class, I will post biblical readings for class discussion through my website: www.biblicaltheology.us. Like in previous classes, we will discuss the readings using the Socratic Method.
Class #1 - The Golden Calf Having come from Egypt, the land of slavery, Israel had some perverse ideas on both who God was and how to worship Him.. For example, the Golden Calf Incident in Exodus 32 demonstrated that Israel considered God (YHWH) to be some sort of a bull-like deity. Consequently, Israel fell into the same “worship pattern” of pagan Egypt, worshipping God through pagan sacrifices, singing, dancing, and false praise.
Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #1
Class #2 - A Kingdom of Priests Because of the Golden Calf episode and Egypt’s pagan influence on Israel, God created barriers between the Israelites and pagan idolatry by regulating worship [Lev 1-10], sanitation [Lev 12-15], sexual relationships [Lev 18, 20], sacrifices [Lev 20], holidays [Lev 23], and even diet [Lev 11]! God did this to keep Israel holy, meaning set apart and consecrated to God Himself. Thus, Israel existed in a unique Theocracy with God Himself as King who governed and regulated Theocratic Israel. This begs the question: “In our complex, pluralistic society, how should we Christians live with our non-Christian neighbors?” To answer this question as well as understand the fulfillment of various Levitical laws, we will examine the Jesus’ encounter with the woman with a discharge [Mat 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48].
Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #2
Class #3 - Be Holy The end of the 10 Commandments is Holiness. “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” [Lev 11:45]. Arguably, Holiness is God’s preeminent characteristic. In this class, we will develop a basic theology of holiness to better understand the Holy One of Israel.
Click here to download the slides for Leviticus Class #3
Class #4 – Questions and Review or TBD
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