Don't Skip Leviticus!

Let's be honest. When most people read straight through the Bible, Leviticus is usually where the wheels come off.

Genesis is full of adventure. Exodus has plagues, a parted sea, and manna falling from the sky. Then you turn the page and... offerings. Then laws, laws, and more laws. Leviticus has the unflattering (and unfair) reputation of being the boring "rule book."

It can be tempting to skip ahead.

But here's the thing: While Leviticus isn't full of adventure, it's full of fun science! And it's an Old Testament book where your kids get to see Jesus on almost every page.

The Science Is Amazing

Leviticus has laws about skin diseases, touching dead bodies, washing, mold, and even cookware. My kids love the science behind the laws!

The Israelites didn't know anything about germs. They had no idea why God told them to quarantine sick people or wash after touching something dead. But God knew! He was protecting His people from things they couldn't even see.

An interesting fact about babies? They were circumcised on the eighth day, and science now shows that's when a baby's blood-clotting ability is fully developed. God knew that thousands of years before we did!

And the no-pork rule? Many of the animals the Israelites couldn't eat were scavengers that could pass on parasites and diseases. (My youngest was very relieved to find out we can eat bacon now, since Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws!)

What is holiness?

The main theme in Leviticus is holiness. But what does "holy" even mean? Holy means "set apart." When we say God is holy, we mean He's set apart from everything, perfect and different from us in an "above and beyond" kind of way.

Did you know holiness is the only attribute of God that's repeated three times in a row in the Bible? When Bible writers wanted to emphasize something, they repeated it—kind of like how we'd use an exclamation point!

Since God was going to live with His people, they had to be holy too. The question is, "How could they be holy?" And an even bigger question is, "How can we be holy?"

Jesus in the Offerings

In the first seven chapters, God gave instructions for five different offerings. Instead of reading every word of those chapters, your family can fill in a chart together: what each offering was, what it teaches us, and how Jesus fulfilled it. Watching your kids see Jesus in the offerings is exciting. And because they're making the connections themselves, they'll actually remember.

The Feasts Point Straight to Jesus

This is my favorite part of Leviticus. God gave His people seven feasts, and every one of them points to Jesus!

Your kids can make their own Jewish calendar and add each feast as they go. (They'll even figure out why Easter falls on a different date every year—more fun science!)

Passover: Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
Unleavened Bread: Jesus was sinless. The matzah even has stripes and holes, because He was striped and pierced for us (Isaiah 53).
Firstfruits: Jesus was the first raised from the dead never to die again, and the guarantee that more will follow.
Weeks (Pentecost): The birth of the Church, with Jews and Gentiles together.

The spring feasts were fulfilled in Jesus' first coming.

And the fall feasts? They point to His second coming. The Day of Atonement, with its two goats, one sacrificed and one carrying the people's sins far away, is a powerful picture of what Jesus has done and will do.

You Get to Celebrate!

The very last "lesson" of Leviticus can a party! Your kids can plan and celebrate one of the feasts together. (A Feast of Booths sheet fort in the living room is easy and counts just as much a planning a Passover meal with neighbors!) It's a memory your family won't forget.