Intro to Leviticus
In the book of Exodus, God rescues Israel from Egypt (Exod 1–15), brings them to Sinai (16–18), and proposes a covenant relationship (19:1–6). Israel eagerly accepts (19:8), and both parties ratify the covenant (24:1–18). At its heart, this covenant is about the Lord’s desire for an intimate relationship with the new bride, Israel. Consequently, after the covenant is established, the Lord asks the Israelites to “make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (25:8).
While Moses is on the mountain receiving instructions for God’s tent (25–31), however, the people break the new covenant. At their request, Aaron makes a golden calf and declares, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” ( 32:4). Their single-minded allegiance to the Lord does not survive the honeymoon, the months at Sinai.
The crisis is severe. The Lord threatens to destroy these people and start over again with Moses ( 32:9–10). Moses intervenes and convinces Yahweh not to kill them ( 32:11–14), but the crisis is not fully resolved. Yahweh next orders the Israelites to leave for the promised land but refuses to go with them “because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way” ( 33:3). The plans for the tabernacle and the Lord’s hopes for this relationship are in jeopardy. The Lord is not going with them so as not to destroy them! Moses intervenes and convinces the Lord to go with the people ( 33:12–17). Construction on the tabernacle proceeds ( 35–40), and at the end of the book of Exodus, the glory of the Lord moves into the tent (40:34–38).
The crisis, however, is still not resolved. At Sinai the Lord had stated, “if I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you” ( 33:5). Yet now the Lord goes with them, without resolution of the problems that threaten their life together. How can a holy God live with the unholy people he loves and not destroy them? That is the question Leviticus seeks to answer.