Once God had entered into the camp of Israel and was abiding in the Tabernacle he would speak to Moses (as he did Samuel in First Samuel 3) from the Tabernacle. The book of Leviticus picks up where Exodus left off when the Lord entered the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:33-38). In Leviticus 1:1 the Lord calls to Moses from the Tabernacle and begins to establish a systematic and formal system of worship and sacrificial. By doing this the Lord makes all other personal forms of worship systems and family altars inappropriate.
Before the establishment of the Tabernacle the Lord was worshipped on many altars built in a variety of places. The Bible lists these people and the locations altars were built to the Lord and accepted by him:Cain/Abel, Genesis 4:3-5; Noah, Genesis 8:20; Abraham, Genesis 12:7-8; 13:4; 13:18; 22:9; Melchizedek, Genesis 14:18; Isaac, Genesis 26:25; Jacob, Genesis 33:20; 35:7; Moses, Exodus 17:15. The assumption is that this is not an extensive list, but that there must have been others who built altars to the Lord in many places. But, beginning in Exodus 40 and Leviticus 1 there is only one place offerings could be made to the Lord. Alternate altars and worship centers would combine elements of Canaanite other pagan religions into the Israelite religious system and lead the people astray. These private or local altars would be known as "high places." (God does respond to altars made by Joshua, Joshua 8:30, according to God's command to recite the Law there; in Judges and by Elijah in times of great apostasy.)
The Lord speaks from the Tabernacle to Moses concerning how Israel is to worship him and gives detailed instructions concerning the ritual and the sacrifice.
The word “called” in the opening statement of Leviticus is qara which means “to call out” or “to shout.” After the Lord had “called,” qara, or shouted to Moses, Leviticus 1:1 continues by saying, the Lord “spoke to him from the tent of meeting.” The word “spoke” here is dabar which means “to set in a row, to arrange in order” and here dabar refers to speaking words in an arranged order. The Lord qara, “called out to Moses,” and then began to dabar, “speak organized words in an arranged, categorized system.”
Leviticus 1:1 says, “The Lord CALLED (qara)…SPOKE (daba)…He SAID (amar).” The third word used for the Lord’s communication with Moses is amar which means “to bear forth, to bring to light.” When the Lord began to daba arrange his words he amar, or brought forth light with his words.
Leviticus 1:1 says that once God was in the camp of Israel in his Tabernacle he, qara…daba…amar. The Lord called to Moses to get his attention, revealed his system of thoughts with organized words and when he began to speak his words brought light and revealed his thoughts to Moses to speak to Israel. |
|
![Christian Quote from Church History](../images/quote-box.jpg) |