Tips for reading Leviticus

I am currently re-reading the Bible.  My plan is to read through it all in 6 months, finishing this June.  That works out to about 6 pages a day in my Bible.   

This week I have been reading Leviticus.  Poor Leviticus has such a bad reputation.  Many a well meaning Bible student has floundered in this daunting third book of Moses.  It is an instruction manual for priests -- and it reads like one too.  All the different sacrifices, procedures, and cleanliness laws contain a good deal of repetition with very little exciting narrative. 

Here are some tips that help me when studying Leviticus.  You may find them helpful as well:

1. Understand the outline of the book first.  Most good study Bibles provide an outline of the chapter groupings.  Always keep in mind where you are in the big picture of the entire book.
2. Read entire chapter groupings together at a faster pace in one sitting.  Rather than trudging through guilt sacrifices for one day, grain sacrifices the next day, and sin sacrifices the next, cover all the sacrifices in one sitting (see chapter groupings in the outline).  Read more quickly over the repetitive portions noting specific differences between mostly similar material.
3. Consider how Leviticus points to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.  Look for foreshadows in Leviticus that are perfectly fulfilled by Jesus' perfect redemption on the cross.
4. Understand how Leviticus is fulfilled by Christ and closely related to the book of Hebrews.  Before or after reading Leviticus, read Hebrews. It shows how Christ has fulfilled the Levitical law.
   
5. Grow in appreciation of the exacting precision of God's holiness.  God says, "Be holy, because I am holy" (Lev. 11:44).  This book teaches us that God cares about the details of our behavior. Though Christ has fulfilled and brought to completion the Levitical law, the Spirit-filled life of a Christian is to be just as holy, pure, and blameless.