Leviticus
Author: Moses
Date of Writing: 1450-1410 BC
Type of Book: Third book of the Pentateuch, the book of the Law
Theme: The Levitical instructions for sacrifice and worship
The word Leviticus means "pertaining to the Levites." the book was primarily written to give instructions to the priests, who were of the tribe of Levi, to conduct sacrifices, offerings, and to supervise the worship of the nation of Israel. Leviticus deals with the various types of offerings that were ordained in the Old Testament. The purpose of the offerings was always to restore fellowship with God. That's basically the purpose of man's existence.
The book contains the instructions that God gave to Moses while the people were encamped at Mount Sinai. It is very detailed, and thus can make for tedious reading, but it is also an extremely important book.
Sacrifices were a picture of the one sacrifice that would make it possible for man to know God. Sacrifices couldn't take away or forgive sins - they could only atone or cover them up temporarily. This is why Christ would ultimately have to die.
Leviticus also has a lot to say about holiness. The word "holy" is found almost a hundred times, stressing the fact that a holy God wants to fellowship with holy people. The fact that we are not holy, in and of our own strength, makes it necessary for us to have a sacrifice so that holiness can be provided for us.
Reading the book of Hebrews will help you greatly in understanding Leviticus. These two books are centrally important to our worship of God. Of course, our worship under the new covenant is "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23) and it is not tied to a particular location, like it was in the Old Testament.
We can learn much by gaining an understanding of how the people were instructed to worship God, as we enjoy the reality of the intimate relationship with Him that is foreshadowed here. As with every book of the Bible, Jesus is at the very heart of the message of this book.
-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible