BEMA Episode Link: 25: A Kingdom of What?
Episode Length: 49:12
Published Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2017 01:00:00 -0700
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings give an overview of the book of Leviticus.

A Kingdom of What? Presentation (PDF)

Leviticus: The Book of Holiness, volume 3 of Covenant & Conversation by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Amazon)

Leviticus: The Book of Holiness, volume 3 of Covenant & Conversation by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Sefaria)

Leviticus: A Call to Priesthood (Sermon Series) — Real Life on the Palouse

Study Tools

Legacy Episode Content

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 25: A Kingdom of What? - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the book of Leviticus, examining it as an “owner’s manual” for the tabernacle and exploring what it means to be a “kingdom of priests” as outlined in Exodus 19:5-6. Rather than a verse-by-verse analysis, this episode takes a 10,000-foot view to understand Leviticus as a cohesive whole, organized around the central theme of priesthood and atonement.

Key Takeaways

  • Leviticus serves as the “owner’s manual” for the tabernacle - explaining how to use what was built in Exodus
  • The book is structured as a chiasm with the Day of Atonement at its center, emphasizing God’s desire to forgive sin
  • Being a “kingdom of priests” means all Israelites (and by extension, Christians) are called to four priestly roles
  • The Levitical laws are not arbitrary restrictions but ways to set God’s people apart to display His character
  • Atonement comes first before any other religious activity, emphasizing grace over performance
  • The book includes instructions on proper celebration and caring for the oppressed as essential priestly duties

Main Concepts & Theories

The Structure of Leviticus (Chiasm)

Leviticus is organized as a chiasm (sandwich structure) with five main sections:

Section 1: Atonement (Chapters 1-7)

  • Focus: Sacrificial system and making things right with God
  • Purpose: Establishes grace before works, ensuring relationship is secure before duties begin
  • Not about constant animal sacrifice - one goat morning and evening for the whole nation
  • Creates foundation where everything else flows from love, not performance

Section 2: Priesthood Part 1 (Chapters 8-10)

  • Instructions for priestly conduct and special rules
  • Higher standards for priests who represent God to the people
  • Part of the “priest-wich” structure

Section 3: Holiness Code (Chapters 11-20)

  • The “filling” of the priest-wich
  • Laws about kosher eating, clothing, farming, and relationships
  • Purpose: Making Israel distinct from surrounding nations
  • Not about inherent good/evil but about being set apart (kadosh = holy/different)

Section 4: How to Party (Chapters 23-24)

  • Biblical festivals and celebrations
  • God-ordained parties that celebrate His goodness and provision
  • Required celebration - “You will party or you will die”
  • Proper celebration changes hearts and leads to generosity

Section 5: Caring for the Oppressed (Chapters 25-27)

  • Sabbath year and Year of Jubilee
  • Debt forgiveness and land redistribution
  • Redemption prices for restoring people to community
  • Natural result of experiencing God’s grace through celebration
The Four Roles of Priesthood

1. Put God on Display

  • Dress and act differently to show God is different
  • Visual reminder of God’s character through lifestyle choices
  • Like the blue thread in tassels among white threads
  • Modern application: Ethical consumption, relationships, social media use

2. Help People Navigate Their Atonement

  • Guide people through the process of restoration with God
  • Use rules as tools for ministry, not ends in themselves
  • Help move people from guilty to clean conscience
  • Some offerings included communal meals for reconciliation

3. Intercede on Behalf of Others

  • Stand between God and people, advocating both directions
  • Plead God’s case to people and people’s case to God
  • Like Moses on Mount Sinai willing to have his name blotted out
  • Find loopholes and opportunities to bring people in, not keep them out

4. Distribute Resources to Those in Need

  • Manage systems that care for alien, orphan, and widow
  • Share abundance with those lacking
  • Ensure God’s household cares for all His children
  • Can include material goods, emotional health, community, relationships
The Day of Atonement as Central Theme
  • Located at the center of the Levitical chiasm (Chapter 16)
  • Emphasizes that God’s primary desire is to forgive sin
  • The scapegoat carries sins “as far as east is from west”
  • Demonstrates that Leviticus is ultimately about grace, not burden
  • Shows that “the Law was the gospel” - good news about God’s forgiveness

Examples & Applications

Real-World Priestly Living

Putting God on Display:

  • Ethical shopping and consumption patterns that reflect God’s values
  • Social media presence that demonstrates God’s character
  • Relationship patterns that show God’s love and faithfulness
  • Financial stewardship that reflects trust in God’s provision

Helping with Atonement:

  • Creating environments where people experience God’s love rather than judgment
  • Helping people move from shame to acceptance
  • Providing practical steps for spiritual restoration
  • Offering multiple pathways for people to connect with God

Intercession:

  • Advocating for marginalized groups rather than excluding them
  • Finding ways to include rather than exclude
  • Standing up for those society rejects
  • Being a bridge-builder between God and community

Resource Distribution:

  • Food banks, homeless shelters, financial assistance programs
  • Mentoring, counseling, community building
  • Sharing skills, networks, and opportunities
  • Creating systems that address root causes of poverty
Historical Context Examples

Ancient vs. Modern Understanding:

  • Leviticus 27’s “redemption prices” seem offensive until understood as revolutionary human dignity legislation
  • Mixed fabrics seem arbitrary until seen as priestly distinctiveness markers
  • Kosher laws appear health-based but actually serve identity formation purposes
  • Festival requirements seem excessive until recognized as mental health and community building practices

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  • Comparative Ancient Near Eastern Studies: How did Israel’s sacrificial system compare to surrounding nations?
  • Rabbinic Literature: Explore Rabbi Jonathan Sachs’ “Covenant and Conversation: The Book of Holiness”
  • New Testament Connections: Study how 1 Peter 2:9 applies Levitical priesthood to Christians
  • Modern Sabbath and Festival Observance: What can Christians learn from Jewish celebration practices?
  • Social Justice Applications: How do Sabbath year and Jubilee principles apply to contemporary economic issues?
  • Liturgical Traditions: How have different Christian denominations incorporated Levitical principles?
  • Environmental Stewardship: What do farming laws and land rest teach about creation care?

Comprehension Questions

  1. Structural Understanding: How does the chiastic structure of Leviticus with the Day of Atonement at its center change your understanding of the book’s main message?

  2. Priestly Roles Application: Which of the four priestly roles (displaying God, helping with atonement, interceding, distributing resources) do you find most challenging to implement in modern Christian life, and why?

  3. Holiness Code Purpose: Explain why the dietary laws, clothing restrictions, and farming practices in Leviticus 11-20 were given. How might the principle behind these laws apply today without necessarily following the specific rules?

  4. Atonement Priority: Why does Leviticus begin with atonement (chapters 1-7) rather than jumping directly into priestly duties? What does this teach about the relationship between grace and works?

  5. Celebration Mandate: How does the concept of God-required celebration (chapters 23-24) challenge common Christian attitudes toward enjoyment and pleasure? What is the connection between proper celebration and caring for the oppressed?

Personal Summary

The book of Leviticus reveals God’s heart for relationship over religion, grace over performance, and community care over individual piety. Far from being a burden of arbitrary rules, Leviticus provides a comprehensive blueprint for living as God’s representatives in the world. The central message is beautifully captured in its chiastic structure: God desires to forgive our sins and restore relationship (Day of Atonement) so that we can effectively serve as His priests to the world.

The four priestly roles - displaying God’s character, helping others find restoration, interceding for the marginalized, and distributing resources to meet needs - provide a practical framework for Christian discipleship. These roles challenge us to examine whether our lives truly look different from the surrounding culture in ways that point to God’s unique character of love, mercy, and justice.

Most remarkably, Leviticus teaches that proper worship includes both solemn acknowledgment of our need for atonement and joyful celebration of God’s goodness. This balance prevents both legalistic guilt and careless presumption. The book concludes with practical applications of grace through debt forgiveness, land redistribution, and human dignity restoration, showing that experiencing God’s mercy should naturally lead to extending mercy to others.

For modern believers, Leviticus offers not a list of rules to follow but a vision of what it means to live as a kingdom of priests - people set apart not for privilege but for service, displaying God’s radical love in a world desperately needing to see His true character.

BEMA Episode 25: A Kingdom of What? - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 25 - A Kingdom of What? (2017)
Topic: Comprehensive overview of the Book of Leviticus, exploring its purpose as God’s instruction manual for priesthood and understanding Israel’s calling to be a “kingdom of priests”
Duration: Approximately 32 minutes

Key Takeaways

  • Leviticus is not a random collection of laws but a structured explanation of what it means to be a “kingdom of priests” as promised in Exodus 19:5-6
  • The book serves as an “owner’s manual in the glove box of the tabernacle” - explaining how to interact with and use the sacred space God commanded them to build
  • Leviticus follows a brilliant chiastic structure with the Day of Atonement at its center, emphasizing God’s removal of sin
  • The fourfold role of priesthood provides a framework for understanding both ancient Israel’s calling and modern believers’ mission
  • God’s laws for dietary restrictions, clothing, and lifestyle were primarily given to make Israel visibly different from surrounding nations, not for health reasons alone
  • The book balances personal holiness (front half) with caring for others (back half), demonstrating that true priesthood involves both personal sanctification and social responsibility

Main Concepts & Theories

The Kingdom of Priests Concept

God’s declaration in Exodus 19:5-6 that Israel would be His “treasured possession” and a “kingdom of priests” serves as the foundational promise that Leviticus explains. This wasn’t merely having priests within the kingdom, but the entire nation functioning as priests to the world.

Five Sections of Leviticus Structure
  1. Atonement (Chapters 1-7): Sacrificial system establishing right relationship with God before any other instruction can be properly received
  2. Priesthood Part 1 (Chapters 8-10): What priests wear, do, and their higher standards of conduct
  3. Living as Priests (Chapters 11-20): Kosher laws, purity codes, sexuality guidelines - the “priestwich” middle section
  4. How to Party (Chapters 23-24): Sacred festivals and celebrations commanded by God
  5. Caring for the Oppressed (Chapters 25-27): Sabbath year, Jubilee, redemption values, and social justice
Fourfold Role of Priesthood
  1. Put God on Display: Dress, act, and live differently to show that your God is different from other gods
  2. Help People Navigate Atonement: Assist others in understanding and experiencing forgiveness and right relationship with God
  3. Intercede on Behalf of Others: Stand in the gap between God and people, pleading for mercy and grace
  4. Distribute Resources to Those in Need: Ensure abundance flows from those who have extra to those who lack necessities
The Chiastic Structure of Leviticus

The book forms a literary chiasm (mirror structure) with the Day of Atonement (Chapter 16) at its center. The outer sections focus on rituals of redemption, moving inward through priesthood roles, holiness codes, with everything pointing toward God’s complete removal of sin.

Holiness as “Set Apart” (Kadosh)

The Hebrew concept of holiness (kadosh) means “consecrated,” “set apart,” or “different” - not moral perfection. This understanding transforms how we read commands to “be holy as God is holy,” emphasizing distinctiveness rather than perfectionism.

Examples & Applications

Ancient World Context
  • Former slaves from Egypt needed education about priesthood since they were familiar with Egyptian and Mesopotamian priestly systems but needed to understand God’s unique approach
  • The elaborate high priestly garments (including blue robes) were deliberately impractical for desert life, designed to make the wearer visibly different
  • Josephus recorded that seeing the high priest on Yom Kippur was like being “ported into another dimension”
Dietary and Lifestyle Laws
  • Kosher food restrictions served primarily to make Israel visibly different from surrounding nations
  • God explicitly states in Leviticus 19-20 that these laws were given “to set you apart from the nations around you”
  • Modern applications might include tzitzit (prayer tassels) with blue threads as reminders of priestly calling
Festival and Celebration
  • God commanded six major festivals, with only one (Day of Atonement) being solemn - the rest were celebrations
  • The tent of meeting (moed) connects back to Genesis 1’s “seasons” (moadim), emphasizing celebration as part of creation’s goodness
  • Modern believers often avoid celebration due to fear, missing God’s commanded joy and remembrance
Social Justice Applications
  • The Jubilee year and redemption laws provided systematic ways to restore people to community belonging
  • Early church practices of resource sharing and care for the oppressed changed the ancient world
  • Modern priesthood should involve both personal holiness and active care for marginalized people

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  • Detailed study of individual sacrificial offerings and their specific meanings in chapters 1-7
  • Examination of the Day of Atonement ritual and its theological significance in chapter 16
  • Investigation of the biblical festival calendar and its connection to agricultural cycles and historical events
  • Analysis of Old Testament social justice laws and their relevance to modern economic systems
  • Comparison of biblical priesthood with priesthood concepts in other ancient Near Eastern religions
  • Study of how New Testament authors (especially Peter and Hebrews) reinterpret Levitical priesthood for Christian believers
  • Exploration of the connection between Levitical holiness codes and Jesus’ teachings on purity and righteousness

Comprehension Questions

  1. According to the episode, what are the two main ways to approach studying Leviticus, and why does Marty choose the “10,000-foot view” approach for this podcast?

  2. Explain the chiastic structure of Leviticus and why the Day of Atonement’s placement in chapter 16 is significant rather than being grouped with other festivals in chapters 23-24.

  3. What are the four roles of priesthood described in the episode, and how should modern believers apply each role in contemporary life?

  4. Why does God give Israel dietary restrictions and lifestyle laws according to Leviticus, and how does this differ from health-based explanations often given for these rules?

  5. How does the concept of holiness (kadosh) as “set apart” rather than “perfect” change our understanding of God’s command to “be holy as I am holy”?

Personal Summary

BEMA Episode 25 revolutionizes the understanding of Leviticus by revealing it as a coherent manual for priestly living rather than an arbitrary collection of ancient laws. The central insight that Israel was called to be a “kingdom of priests” - not just a kingdom with priests - transforms how we read every dietary restriction, purity law, and social regulation. These weren’t burdensome rules but practical instructions for a people called to visibly demonstrate God’s character to surrounding nations.

The fourfold role of priesthood provides a powerful framework for evaluating modern discipleship: Do we put God on display through distinctive living? Do we help others find atonement and forgiveness? Do we intercede for others rather than excluding them? Do we redistribute resources to meet genuine needs? The episode challenges contemporary believers to examine whether they function as priests who draw people toward God or as gatekeepers who block access to divine grace.

Most significantly, the chiastic structure with the Day of Atonement at its center reinforces the consistent biblical message that God removes sin rather than merely managing it. This theological foundation enables everything else in Leviticus - the celebration of festivals, the care for the oppressed, and the call to distinctive living - because it establishes that relationship with God is secure, making obedience a missional response rather than a salvation requirement.

Original Notes

The Tabernacle

  • The Tabernacle is effectively the Honeymoon Suite that we’ve discussed in the episode “Under The Chuppah”.
  • Leviticus is the Owner’s Manual for what to do with the tent of the Tabernacle.

A Kingdom of Priests

  • Exodus 19:5-6

    NOW IF YOU OBEY ME FULLY AND KEEP MY COVENANT, THEN OUT OF ALL NATIONS YOU WILL BE MY TREASURED POSSESSION. ALTHOUGH THE WHOLE EARTH IS MINE, YOU WILL BE FOR ME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS AND A HOLY NATION.

  • What is a “Kingdom of Priests”?
    • Not a Kingdom WITH Priests…
  • Sections of Leviticus
    1. Atonement [Chapters 1-7]: You have a guilty conscience and we have to deal with that first. You ARE right with me. You and I are good and what we are about to do is not about making you good.
    2. Priesthood (The Priesthood Sandwich) [Chapters 8-10 and 21-22]:
      • What is a priest?
      • Priests put G-d on display.
        • When you see a priest, they look different.
        • If we are priests, we are to look different as well.
        • We are to be holy. Kadosh. Priest look and act different because they are holy because G-d is holy.
      • Priests help people navigate their atonement.
        • Every day, a goat is sacrificed morning and evening. A priest helps explain the process that helps clean your conscience.
      • Priests intercede on behalf of others.
        • They sit in the gap between G-d and Israel.
        • They help explain G-d’s perspective to the people.
        • They also help the people by standing before G-d on behalf of the world.
      • Priests distribute resources to those in need.
    3. How to live as a priest [Chapters 11-20]
      • Eating kosher. Why do Jews not eat pork? Because G-d wants them to be different
        • Many point out that there are practical reasons to eat kosher. Marty argues that he doesn’t think that was the primary purpose. G-d explains in [TODO: missing the verse] that G-d gives the laws of Leviticus to set them apart from those people around them.
    4. How to Party [Chapters 23-24]
      • If you don’t know how to take a break, I will destroy you.
      • Tent of Meeting aka Tent of Moad (season).
      • These are the seasons that I want you to follow and this is when you celebrate.
      • You must know when you indulge, to splurge, and party.
      • G-d says, ~”You must celebrate because if you don’t, you will lose the plot of the story and I will destroy you.”
    5. Caring for the oppressed [Chapters 25-27]
      • This is about the sabbath year or the year of jubilee when slaves are set free.
      • Many people show disgust for this section because G-d explains the value of one group over another.
      • What is not understood is that many of these groups were not valued as a society and that G-d is bringing humanity forward a step further than they were at the time. Women were not considered a part of humanity and they were considered as something apart of different than humanity. G-d says that everyone has value and are part of humanity.

Leviticus as a Chiasm

  • The Chiasm
    • Rituals of Redemption (Chapters 1–7): This is about MY atonement
      • Priesthood (Chapters 8–10): Who is a priest supposed to me?
        • Holiness Code (Chapters 11–15): How am I supposed to live for my own holiness?
          • Day of Atonement (Chapters 16): Right in the middle sits the day of atonement. This is about G-d taking my sin and getting rid of it. This holiday very weird to be found right in the middle of this book.
        • Holiness Code (Chapters 17–20): What does holiness look like in how I interact with other people.
      • Priesthood (Chapters 21–22): What happens when a priest messes up? How do we get them back?
    • Rituals of Redemption (Chapters 23–27): This is about other’s atonement
  • About the Chiasm
    • Paul Patterson points out that the front half it’s about me approaching G-d as an individual and the back half of the chiasm is about me helping OTHERS find their way back to G-d.
    • The entire chiasm points to this seemingly misplaced holiday in the center of the book, The Day of Atonement.
      • Every day when sacrifices are made, blood flows into the Tabernacle. Throughout the year, the Tabernacle “gets pretty full of sin.” However, on the day of atonement, the goat goes in first and then the blood flows OUT of the Tabernacle. The blood flows the opposite direction.
      • That blood is then put on a second goat, known as the scape goat (the az-za-zel in Hebrew), and that goat is take out into the wilderness never to be seen again.
      • Isaiah says later in their story, G-d separates your sin as far as the East is from the West.

Conclusion

  • Looking back at the list of things that makes someone a priest.
    • Put G-d on display.
      • Do we look different than those around us? Are we putting G-d and Christ on display or do we look exactly the same as those around us? Is there anything distinct about us?
    • Help people navigate their atonement.
      • Do we help people navigate their atonement and become right before G-d? Do we know how to do that?
    • Intercede on behalf of others.
      • Do we intercede on behalf of others or do we do everything we can to stand in the gap and block people from G-d’s presence. CFA example.
    • Distribute to those in need.
      • Do we distribute to those in need and examining our lives for things that we have in abundance and making sure that we’re sharing those things with those around us.
  • Are these things true of us as well?

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