"You're spending your quiet time reading Leviticus? Isn't it just a list of laws? And hasn't that all been replaced by grace?"

Those are some of the astonished responses you're likely to get when you tell people you're reading this book of the Bible. It's true, Leviticus has never made popular devotional reading. But for those who dare to venture into it daily, it brings us face to face with realities about God, the world and ourselves.

The book is concerned with living out the sacred trust of holiness.Leviticus means "pertaining to the Levites." To the descendants of Levi, Jacob's son, God gave special responsibilities for worship (Nu 1:47-53; 3:5-13). The Lord set them apart as his priests who were to make sure that the tabernacle—and the people—remained holy.

The first seven chapters are instructions for various offerings. Chapters 8—10 relate the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. Chapters 11—15 are about cleansing. In chapter 16 the all-important Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is instituted. The last eleven chapters deal with moral laws for everyday living, priestly behavior, festivals and the results to be expected from obeying or disobeying God.

Except for brief narrative portions, the book presents itself as spoken by God to Moses. No proof is offered. It simply says, "The Lord said to Moses," or sometimes, "The Lord said to Moses and Aaron." The time is shortly after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, an event long dated c. 1220 B.C., though recent discoveries indicate it may have been earlier, c. 1440 B.C.

This is all historically interesting and deserves study—but is it appropriate for a Christian's quiet time? Why concern ourselves with Old Testament sacrifices and purification when Christ has fulfilled all the law? What do we gain today from devotional reading of Leviticus?

First of all, Leviticus shows us God. It says that God is holy, a truth that made the prophet Isaiah cry out, "Woe is me!" Yet this holy God talks to Moses, a man sometimes of timidity and temper, and, through Moses, he talks to ordinary people, explaining how to live and how to know him.

Leviticus also shows us ourselves. It tells us we can know God. It says that we are not holy unless God makes us so. It portrays people trying to get around God's laws—something we all still try in various ways. And it promises that a broken relationship with God can be restored through his mercy.

Finally, Leviticus shows us the world, mostly indirectly, by telling us how God's people are different from the world. Some differences are external, but they are primarily internal because God has already made us different from the rest of humanity. Leviticus tells us that as we live in this world we are bound to be distinctive simply because we belong to God.

God commands his people: "Be holy, because I am holy" (Lev 11:44). He also assures us: "I am the LORD, who makes you holy" (Lev 20:8). May you grow in holiness as you meditate on this book of holiness.