Laws about ritual purity and health seemed far removed from our religious experience, but they helped guide people on how to get along.

Aaron’s sons find that looking like a priest is not enough. In a scene that reminds us of the story of Cain and Abel, they make an offering to the Lord in the wrong spirit, and suffer the consequences.

The clothing of the priests represented their dedication to God. The appearance of dedication, though, isn’t enough. Our real identity is internal, not external.

Different offerings served different purposes, and each had particular rituals to follow.

Leviticus makes it clear that the details of worship matter. Later, we’ll be reminded that it’s also important not to lose sight of the big picture either. God seeks our worship and our obedience, not just one or the other.

The sacrificial system never provided a means to escape the consequences of deliberate disobedience, but was a means of finding forgiveness and peace after failure.

The commandments about offerings in Leviticus are even more foreign to us than much of the rest of scripture. One of the greatest things we learn, though, is that they are about the act of giving more than the gift itself.