Belief in witchcraft and sorcery, while still with us, is less common than it once was. But we still have ways we try to know and control the future rather than trusting in God to take care of it.

A practical result of most of the laws of the Old Testament is that those who follow them will be seen as people of compassion and integrity. Those attributes serve well in attracting people to the faith.

The Old Testament sacrificial rituals provided physicals ways to represent the release of sin. Rituals can often reinforce unseen truths by making them visible.

While the idea of ceremonial purity is foreign to us, we understand what it means to feel unclean or unworthy.

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.