Leviticus presents us with a few different challenges. One challenge is the very act of reading through the long lists of rules; admittedly it can be a slog! A second challenge as a Christian is to not gloss over it. We may be tempted to say, “I’ve got Jesus, I don’t need all these rules.” And in one sense, that is true. Yet we cannot fully appreciate Jesus’s summary of the Law, “Love God, love neighbor,” if we don’t occasionally engage Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Yet a third challenge and a pressing question is one that we can share with the Israelites in our reading and in their first-time hearing. How can an unholy people be in communion with a holy God? How can imperfect people approach a perfect Lord? We need to cherish the depth of this question, because it is an early thesis point in the Bible. Leviticus is a robust attempt at answering that question. The list of rules is a guide for purity, meant to shape the hearts of God’s people so they can be in communion with him. Does it work? That’s what we want to know with every medical procedure or exercise plan we go through. Will the treatment be worse than the disease? Will I get results? Let’s follow Moses and God through this book. In Exodus 40:35, we are told that Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because God was there. That makes sense: unholy Moses cannot be in the same place as Holy God. So, in Leviticus 1:1 we are told, “The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.” From the tent, what we know as Leviticus (instructions for the Levite priests) is given. Did it work? Let’s look at the next book! Numbers 1:1 says, “The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai…” Notice the difference! Something has changed between God and Moses. Moses is no longer hearing from the tent of meeting where God is, he is in the tent of meeting. He has drawn closer! Leviticus shows results! What about for us? Consider this for your reading of Leviticus: each of the sacrifices can be broken down in its intent to three options that are very similar to how we can break down prayer: 1) Please 2) I’m sorry 3) Thank you! When you need to atone for sin, you’re bringing an “I’m sorry” sacrifice. When you inquire of the Lord, you’re coming with your “Please” to the altar. And when things go well, you’re bringing a “Thank you” to the Lord. Grain offerings, fellowship offerings, wave offerings, sin offerings, purification offerings, atonement offerings; they are all meant to assign weight, cost, and sacrifice to our otherwise simple words. You don’t need to sacrifice a goat anytime soon, and you don’t need me to either. But when you pray, don’t take for granted the weight of the words nor forget the glory and majesty of our Holy God to whom we come with our “please, sorry, and thank you.” We are unholy people approaching Holy God. Yet through Jesus Christ, our atoning sacrifice, we are in full communion with God for all these prayers. More on atonement next week! - Pastor Steven