INTRODUCTION
This book of Leviticus literally continues straight on from Exodus. Yisharal is still camped at Sinai and Yahusha is continuing with His Instructions to Moses. In Exodus we saw the Eternal Blood-Covenant raised up and renewed through Moses (the mediator) and Instructions for the Tabernacle, Furnishings and Priesthood laid out so that Yahusha could dwell amongst His people once again. This was of course the whole purpose of their deliverance from slavery, to fulfill the promise given to Abram generations before and bring Yahusha’s chosen people (the 12Tribes + a mixed multitude) into Marriage Covenant and the promised Marriage Home (CANAAN).
Now in LEVITICUS the Instructions for clean-living continue, with a huge focus on Yahusha’s people being set-apart from the nations by TEACHING THEM WHAT IS CLEAN AND UNCLEAN BEHAVIOUR (customs, diet, sexuality etc) so that they can stay in close Blood-Covenant relationship with Him. Yahusha cannot be anywhere near anything evil, for the light of His perfect presence annihilates all darkness and filth, so for this reason, a constant emphasis is placed on Yisharal behaving (worshipping) rightly in His sight.
Yahusha’s Instructions and Principles do NOT change or become obsolete, BUT THEY DO TRANSFORM as He fulfills and breathes life into them. The outward physical appearances and behaviours often change, however the underlying spiritual structure and requirements remain the same. SUBSTITUTION is no different. Yahusha’s physical, atoning death occurred about 2000 years ago, however, from His perspective, His atoning death has no beginning or end, because His spiritual existence is NOT bound by time and space. So we are not relying on something old or in the past, for the blood from His atoning death IS ongoing and present because the underlying spiritual requirements of the Levitical Sacrificial System still REMAIN!
Yahusha did NOT do away with the Sacrificial System, He transformed it, changing the outward physical behaviour but NOT the spiritual significance. Yahusha declared what behaviours are acceptable and unacceptable and He doesn’t tolerate disobedience, cutting off and excluding anyone from His chosen set-apart people who willfully go against His Instructions for clean living. So to understand this book of Leviticus and the acceptable system of approach and sacrificing, is to fully grasp the depth of Yahusha’s plan of deliverance for you, through His own sacrifice, carried out on that bloodied torture stake.
How can Yahusha, a pure (perfectly good in every way), creative cosmic energy Who formed the universe and everything in it (just from the Word of His mouth) ever dwell in the midst of a fallen, evil mankind and not cause them to be annihilated just from the mighty light of His essence and existence? We will learn more about the SUBSTITUTE SACRIFICE and how it allows Yahusha to draw close to anything that is covered with the blood of an innocent animal, releasing them from the certificate of debt because of their evil behaviour (which is instant death).
This is the essence and heart of Leviticus, to explain very simply how Yahusha’s people are to behave cleanly and remain set-apart from the other nations and their wickedness. It’s all about remaining set-apart, and Yahusha uses everything in Yisharal’s natural everyday lives to illustrate their fallen spiritual condition before Him and their need for deliverance and everyday relationship with Him. Perfection was needed in order to connect with the Creator therefore perfect animals were required for sacrifices, taking on them the evil behaviour instead of man, and allowing a connection to occur.
Just as Adam and Kuah were banished from the Garden in Eden (the literal marriage home) anyone who purposely disobeyed Yahusha’s Instructions were banished from the camp of Yisharal (the only place of His presence on the earth), until such a time that they were declared clean again by the priests and the correct sacrifice had been made (symbolising Yahusha’s ultimate sacrifice of substitution).
So we see that YAHUSHA’S INSTRUCTIONS WERE NOT A BURDEN OR A CURSE UPON YISHARAL, BUT A BLESSING in order to protect the nation by defining what wickedness really is and how our evil natures and behaviours were atoned for.
DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE VARYING DEGREES OF DISOBEDIENT BEHAVIOUR IN YAHUSHA’S EYES (or have you been taught that `sin is sin’)?
Did you know that some behaviours were never able to be forgiven?
First Moses was given Yahusha’s EVERLASTING INSTRUCTIONS (in Exodus), defining what right and wrong actually is, and now here in Leviticus the SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM is formally introduced, explaining what must happen if any of Yahusha’s Instructions are broken (ie real forgiveness and atonement). This Sacrificial System however did NOT provide forgiveness and atonement for any and every evil behaviour that Yisharal would commit, but only for ‘UNINTENTIONAL’ crimes. Forgiveness, connection and peace was restored once the animal sacrifice was made (and sometimes further arrangements were taken care of).
However, under this era of Levitical Priesthood, any lawless or evil behaviour committed INTENTIONALLY (premeditative/high-handedly) could not be forgiven by the Sacrificial System, and the person was turned over to the department (in Yahusha’s Justice System) called the “Curse of the Instructions”. The one who committed an INTENTIONAL crime, (instead of being under the blessing and forgiveness of the Sacrificial System) was put under the punishment or “Curse of the Instructions” This was terrifying because not only was the person who committed an INTENTIONAL crime executed (in most cases), he also lost his eternal relationship with Yahusha. So this was the burden every Yisharalite carried. He had to always be on guard to behave properly and not INTENTIONALLY disobey the Instructions.
As the Spotless Lamb, Yahusha didn’t just fulfill the service of the Levitical Sacrificial System, for that only provided forgiveness for UNINTENTIONAL crimes/disobedience against His Instructions. But what about the disobedience committed on purpose, intentionally by Yisharal?
A debt that no animal blood or priesthood could atone? A debt for which we should all be destroyed? Are you starting to grasp the weight of what Yahusha truly did on the torture stake? If the blood of animals in the Sacrificial System was all mankind needed to reconcile and connect with Yahusha then His death wouldn’t have been necessary.
The main reason our beloved brother Paul was so ecstatic about what Yahusha had accomplished on the torture stake was because He actually grasped that Yahusha’s blood delivers us from not just ignorant/unintentional lawlessness, but also from the ‘Curse of the Instructions’ (unforgivable disobedient behaviour and eternal death/separation) as the final Passover Sacrificial Lamb of Alahim. Remember (prior to his conversion) Paul wasn’t just running around arresting the followers of Yahusha, but tracking down those who had committed INTENTIONAL CRIMES against `the Instructions’ and harshly punishing them as required.
PAUL MEETS YAHUSHA
While many consider all Yahusha’s Instructions as one and the same thing (erroneously calling them `the Law’ which Paul was apparently declaring freedom from), the Everlasting Blood-Covenant Instructions and the Levitical Sacrificial System are two very different parts (serving two very different purposes) that together complemented each other to comprise Yahusha’s official Justice System. Disobedience to the Instructions (which many call `the law’) led to punishment and death, while the Sacrificial System led to atonement resulting in both forgiveness and reconciliation to a set-apart Yahusha.
Although we are often told that Yahusha fulfilled the purpose of the Levitical Sacrificial System, he actually went BEYOND that and became our PASSOVER LAMB as well, for the Passover Sacrifice was not part of the Eternal Blood Covenant raised up through Moses or the Sacrificial System, for it came BEFORE the Marriage Covenant was lifted up at Sinai. Passover was NOT about atonement or forgiveness of evil behaviour, but purely to PROTECT YAHUSHA’S PEOPLE FROM DEATH, through substituting innocent lambs blood, NOT to forgive their disobedience.
The PASSOVER LAMB had nothing to do with the Levitical Sacrificial System, for it’s purpose was to allow one to DRAW NEAR to Yahusha by means of forgiveness/atonement. So when Yahusha died on the torture stake, He not only paid the price for both our intentional and unintentional disobedience, He became our PASSOVER LAMB and thus His blood marked us to be PASSED OVER for eternal death, (what the Scriptures explain as eternal separation from Him). How amazing is it to truly grasp this phenomenal truth of what Yahusha did for us!
Understanding this concept of UNINTENTIONAL & INTENTIONAL CRIMES, we now see why the Sanhedrin (ruling authorities) were so infuriated when Yahusha (an average dude) walked around forgiving people, declaring they could have peace with the Father and forgiveness even though they had committed INTENTIONAL crimes (punishable by death). So when Paul began declaring freedom from the `Curse of the Instructions’ to his fellow Yahudim (jews) it was a massive revelation to them, for he was never stating that the Everlasting Instructions were null and void (quite the opposite). He was declaring how insignificant and useless the Levitical Sacrificial System was now that Yahusha had died and fulfilled (breathed life into) the Eternal-Blood Covenant, lifting it up once again and renewing it through His own perfect blood. The nightmare of not knowing what would happen to you because you had committed an INTENTIONAL Crime was now FINISHED (peace - shalom).
Paul never compared Yahusha’s ability to forgive with the Sacrificial System, for it’s only purpose was to provide blood-atonement for UNINTENTIONAL crimes. Yahusha’s sacrifice washed away ever crime!
