Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?

A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus

L. Michael Morales, D. A. Carson, Carson, D. A. Carson

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780830826384
• eBook ISBN: 9780830899869
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Reformation 21's End of Year Review of Books

Preaching's Survey of Bibles and Bible Reference

"Who shall ascend the mountain of the LORD?" — Psalm 24:3

In many ways, this is the fundamental question of Old Testament Israel's cult—and, indeed, of life itself. How can creatures made from dust become members of God's household "forever"?

The question of ascending God's mountain to his house was likely recited by pilgrims approaching the temple on Mount Zion during the annual festivals. This entrance liturgy runs as an undercurrent throughout the Pentateuch and is at the heart of its central book, Leviticus. Its dominating concern, as well as that of the rest of the Bible, is the way in which humanity may come to dwell with God. Israel's deepest hope was not merely a liturgical question, but a historical quest.

Under the Mosaic covenant, the way opened up by God was through the Levitical cult of the tabernacle and later temple, its priesthood and rituals. The advent of Christ would open up a new and living way into the house of God—indeed, that was the goal of his taking our humanity upon himself, his suffering, his resurrection and ascension.

In this stimulating volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology, Michael Morales explores the narrative context, literary structure and theology of Leviticus through:

• examining the tabernacle cult and the Day of Atonement,
• tracking the development from Sinai's tabernacle to Zion's temple as well as from the earthly to the heavenly Mount Zion in the New Testament, and
• showing how life with God in the house of God was the original goal of the creation of the cosmos, and became the goal of redemption and the new creation.

About the Series

Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson and Benjamin L. Gladd, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship, and to point the way ahead.

Chapter One

Leviticus within the Pentateuch: a theological structure

Introduction

The primary theme and theology of Leviticus (and of the Pentateuch as a whole) is YHWH’s opening a way for humanity to dwell in the divine Presence. This theme will be found to encompass the narrative storyline of the Pentateuch, as well as the prominent role of the tabernacle cultus within it. Indeed, the theme of dwelling in the divine Presence, like a kernel sprouting up from the soil of the Pentateuch’s heart, wends its way through biblical history and branches out literarily into various cluster-bearing vines, vines never severed from their root.

Increasingly, scholars have come to appreciate the significance of literary structure for determining the meaning of a work: that the form conveys meaning. In this chapter, therefore, we will con- sider the structure of the Pentateuch in its final form, examining how that structure contributes to the stated theological theme of Leviticus.

The structure of the Pentateuch

We will now explore the Pentateuch’s overarching structure. I will argue that by examining the highest macrostructural level of the Pentateuch one is able to sound out the deepest level – the bedrock – of its meaning. In doing so we will find that the final shape of the Pentateuch sets up the priestly cultus quite literally as a light upon a hill.

The centre of the Pentateuch: Leviticus

Perhaps the most obvious structural feature of the Pentateuch is that it is a ‘Pentateuch’, a ‘five-volume’ or ‘five-scrolled’ book. Many scholars have noted that this five-book structure, with Leviticus at the centre, is not likely to have been coincidental.1 The notion that it simply took five scrolls to fit the entire Torah, an idea justly dubbed ‘flimsy’ by Auld,2 does not adequately account for the cut-off points of each book nor for the symmetry of the collection taken together: Exodus and Numbers are nearly the same length (16,713 and 16,413 words respectively) while Leviticus, the central book, is by far the shortest (11,950 words – half the length of Genesis).3 Moreover, chronological markers set off all five books of the Pentateuch as separate units.4 Likewise, that the psalter was deliberately divided into five books manifests a relevant awareness that the Pentateuch’s fivefold structure is theologically significant.5

Once the fivefold nature of the Pentateuch is in view, the centrality of Leviticus becomes readily apparent. Thematically, there is also good reason to believe the Pentateuch is structured concentrically. Genesis and Deuteronomy both end with a patriarch (Jacob, Moses) blessing the twelve tribes before dying outside the land,6 and Exodus and Numbers have many parallel events, framing Leviticus as the central book. A. C. Leder summarizes:

In the concentric structure of the Pentateuch parallels between Exodus and Numbers suggest that they constitute a frame for Leviticus. Parallels between Genesis and Deuteronomy not only frame Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers thematically, they also provide the beginning and conclusion to the linear sequence of the entire pentateuchal narrative. Thus, Genesis through Deuteronomy exhibits an ABCB'A' organizational format in which Deuter- onomy returns to and complements the themes of Genesis, and Numbers returns to and complements the themes of Exodus. This leaves Leviticus occupying the narrative centre of the Pentateuch, as illustrated in the chart below.7

A GENESIS	Separation from the nations/Blessing/Seeing the land/Descendants and the land
B EXODUS		Israel’s desert journeys/Apostasy and plagues/Pharaoh and magicians/First-born/Levites
C LEVITICUS			Sacrifices/Cleanliness/Holiness
B' NUMBERS		Israel’s desert journeys/Apostasy and plagues/Balak and Balaam/First-born/Levites
A' DEUTERONOMY	Separation from the nations/Blessing/Seeing the land/Descendants and the land

Moshe Kline (2006) proposes a similar schematic structure of the Pentateuch:

Genesis	Prologue
Exodus	Leaving Egypt
	Building the tabernacle
Leviticus	The tabernacle service
Numbers	Dedicating the tabernacle
	Preparing to enter Canaan
Deuteronomy	Epilogue

The symmetry is more than broadly thematic however. Wenham notes, for example, that while Genesis appears to serve as an introductory prologue and Deuteronomy as a reflective epilogue, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers hang closely together by three extended journey-stop cycles:8

More narrowly, the ring structure of Exodus 15:22 – Numbers 21:18 proposed by A. Schart highlights both the similarities between Exodus and Numbers and the significance of Sinai within the Pentateuch:9

AExod. 15:22–25transformation of water from bitter to sweet

B17:1–7water from the rock

C17:8–16Amalekite–Israelite war

D18leadership relief for Moses

E18:27the Midianite Hoba...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Short Title Page
• Contents
• Series preface
• Author’s preface
• Abbreviations
• The glory of God’s house: the lampstand and the table of the Presence
• Chapter One: Leviticus within the Pentateuch: a theological structure
• Chapter Two: Longing for Eden: Genesis, the narrative context of Leviticus
• Chapter Three: Returning to Eden: Exodus, the narrative context of Leviticus
• Chapter Four: Approaching the house of God: the dramatic movement of Leviticus 1 – 10
• Chapter Five: Cleansing the house of God: the dramatic movement of Leviticus 11 – 16
• Chapter Six: Meeting with God at the house of God: the dramatic movement of Leviticus 17 – 27
• Chapter Seven: Establishing the earthly house of God: from Sinai’s tabernacle to Zion’s temple
• Chapter Eight: Entering the heavenly house of God: from the earthly to the heavenly Mount Zion
• Bibliography
• Index of authors
• Index of Scripture references
• Notes
• Titles in this series
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright Page