ESSAY
Leviticus Course Recap
POSTED
August 17, 2016

A great story draws you into specific details while delivering an ending that keeps you coming back. It brings you into the minutiae of life in such a way that requires patience, only to deliver a breath of fresh air time and again. The climax of the biblical story comes with the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and his Spirit being poured out for the church to conquer the world. But this climax comes after dozens of chapters of detail: of stories, and songs, and laws, and prophecies.

Our most recent intensive course took eager students through the Book of Leviticus. Leviticus, along with Numbers, is often brought up as one of the books that interrupts the flow of year-long bible reading plans because of the abundance of jarring detail regarding sacrifices, memorials and laws that we are generally unfamiliar with.

James Jordan, the primary instructor of this course, is at home in this book.

Throughout the course, he discussed the different offerings and laws in Leviticus not only in great detail, but as if Israel were his ancestors, his family. Jordan can mentally see the correct dimensions of the tabernacle and the altar and is at home talking about their significant colors, dimensions, and structure. Consequently, he has a unique ability to talk about the various offerings, cleansings, and laws of uncleanness that bring extraordinary clarity and wonder.

Jordan and Leithart could have easily interrupted themselves time and again to show how each detail is a shadow of Christ and his body, the church. Instead, they took their time so that students could learn and appreciate the content in Leviticus in a way they had not done before. And as with every good story, there was a great payoff to that work. On the last day of the course, Jordan discussed the practical implications of Leviticus. He talked about Jesus’ sacrifice for the church, about liturgical implications and rituals in the church, and the vital importance of missions.

This Leviticus course for me was a pivotal development in my understanding of the God’s work with man, “ said student Joseph Ebersole. “Dr. Jordan is an insightful guide through the oft-misunderstood book of Leviticus.  With his rigorous inquiry and cross-referencing he built a sturdy framework showing us how benevolent God is with His people. He showed us how the details of the law are actually protective and gracious for a sinful and unclean humanity.  He built the long bridge from the ancient world to the modern, showing us how to think about our practices of Christian life and worship in terms of cleansing and restoration. I’m thrilled to know a Holy God who wants us as living people to carry His bread, wine, light, and incense into His house for fellowship and communion with the world.”

The liturgy that we used for this class can be found HERE. Our next course on Architecture and Liturgical Space will take place in March of 2017.

See below for photos from the week, including James Jordan walking students through the motions of the Day of Atonement at one of our dinners.

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