Leviticus is a book that many Christians avoid reading because there are a bunch of rules and specifics about sacrifices. But hidden in all the details are so many pictures of Christ that you really don’t want to miss.
Take Leviticus 27:9-13 for example. Hidden inside these instructions for giving animals to the priests is a two sided picture of God saving us.
‘If it is an animal that men may bring as an offering to the Lord, all that anyone gives to the Lord shall be holy. He shall not substitute it or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good; and if he at all exchanges animal for animal, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy. -Leviticus 27:9-10
But if he wants at all to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth to your valuation. -Leviticus 27:13
At one time humans were holy. Before the fall we were God’s. But then we didn’t want to be God’s anymore, so we rebelled. Then we became the devil’s. Now we aren’t holy.
But God wanted us back, so He sent Jesus to redeem us. Why? Well we can’t redeem ourselves! We couldn’t do it simply by making our good deeds out weigh our bad ones.
But if he wants at all to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth to your valuation. -Leviticus 27:13
To be redeemed we would have to not only pay the price for every time we sinned, we would have to do 20% more good deeds too. Which, as God knew, was impossible.
So God send Jesus to redeem us. Jesus is holy. He never sinned. So, since He was perfect, He could pay the price for all of everyone’s sins, and more! Praise God!
That’s the first part of the picture hidden in Leviticus. But here’s where the other part comes into play.
When something holy is swapped with something not holy, then both things become holy. Jesus is holy, so when we were exchanged for Him the devil got the bad end of the deal. He didn’t get Jesus, and he doesn’t get us anymore either.
We were not holy. Jesus was exchanged for us. Now we can be holy. Now all that’s left for us to become God’s again is whether we are willing to accept what God has done.
Do you see the picture? Isn’t it neat that God would give us pictures of His plan to redeem us centuries before Christ was born? I think so. That’s why I read Leviticus. And maybe if you take the time to look, you’ll see some other glimpses of the gospel too.