Michael A. Harbin and Mark C. Biehl, Leviticus (Kerux)

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Harbin, Michael A., and Mark C. Biehl. Leviticus. A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching. Kerux Commentaries. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Ministry, 2024. 458 pp. Hb. $39.99 Link to Kregel Ministry

The Kerux commentary series pairs an exegete and pastor to provide a detailed exegetical commentary alongside preaching strategies. In this new commentary on Leviticus, Michael A. Harbin (professor emeritus of biblical studies at Taylor University) writes the exegetical portion. Harbin previously published To Serve Other Gods: An Evangelical History of Religion (University Press of America, 1994) and a Bible survey, The Promise and the Blessing: A Historical Survey of the Old and New Testaments (Zondervan, 2005). In addition, he has contributed several articles to academic journals on the year of Jubilee. Mark C. Biehl offers preaching outlines and presentation tips based on Harbin’s exegesis. Biehl serves as lead pastor of Upland Community Church in Upland, Indiana.

Harbin begins with the observation that Leviticus is part of Israel’s foundational documents and the core of a “socioeconomic-judicial-political-religious system designed not only to govern Israel but to transform it into a kingdom of priests who would mediate between God and the world and set the stage for the coming Messiah, who would redeem reconcile the world to himself” (9). This makes Leviticus one of the most challenging books of the Old Testament for Christian preachers and teachers. How does a Christian read and apply these laws appropriately? Biehl says Leviticus addresses two key questions: what does it mean to worship a holy God? What does it mean to love our neighbor? “The answers to these questions are incomplete without a deep dive into Leviticus” (12).

In the fifty-two-page introduction, Harbin assumes the traditional authorship: Moses wrote Leviticus in 1445 BC, based on an early date for Exodus. He has a detailed chart for his chronology on page 157). Several sidebars argue for Moses as an author, addressing such questions as “Could Moses Write?” Harbin argued in more detail for the date of the Exodus in the spring of 1446 in his The Promise and the Blessing (Zondervan, 2005).

The bulk of the introduction is a theology of the book of Leviticus (pages 34-82). Harbin suggests that Israel was uniquely situated to be a kingdom of priests. As a result, their worship has some affinity with the cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, there are significant differences, primarily in Israel’s covenant responsibilities and the anticipation of future divine redemption. These covenant responsibilities focus on social justice and the right relations within the community.

The first major section of this theology of Leviticus concerns sacrifice as worship. Since modern Western Christians do not sacrifice the first third of Leviticus, it needs careful explanation. He offers an excellent theology of sacrifice, observing that sacrifices are not just to atone for sin. Some sacrifices celebrate what God has done or are made in response to a vow. He describes the need for sin offerings as well as the theology behind them, including atonement, expiation, and propitiation. This section has a richly detailed study of the relevant Hebrew vocabulary.

The second major theological theme for Leviticus is holiness. Harbin wants to avoid an etymological fallacy where holiness means sacred, consecrated, etc. He follows Rudolph Otto (1958): holiness is a complex response to a mysterium tremendum. This mysterious holiness hints at a reality behind the physical and the concrete (51). Harbin uses the analogy of Isaiah’s throne room vision. Isaiah encountered the “numinous holiness” of God and immediately felt unclean. A careful study of God’s holiness leads to the moral and ethical teaching of the book. Citing Jacob Milgrom, “Emulation of God’s holiness demands following the ethics associated with his divine nature (Leviticus 1-16, 731). Holiness has ethical and moral dimensions, but what is meant by “moral”? For Israel, the standard for morality is the Torah, as outlined in the 10 Commandments and developed throughout the Pentateuch. Harbin sees a connection between proper actions and the love of the Lord, and the love of neighbors. “Leviticus has a focus on “social justice, suggesting morality as a corporate concept” (53).

The third key theological issue in Leviticus is the idea of clean and unclean. Like sacrifice, this concept is difficult to explain to modern Western Christians. The word unclean refers to something associated with ordinary, everyday life. Older translations used the word “profane,” but this word has negative connotations in modern English. Clean has the connotation of purity concerning worship. Uncleanliness may result from sin, but this is often not the case. Leviticus 11-15 describes many unclean conditions that are not the result of sin. Harbin, therefore, talks about a “cleanliness spectrum” (58). Something “common” may be clean or unclean. It might be made unclean through contact with cleanliness but can be made clean through some ritual. Harbin suggests we should not seek an overarching rationale for the cleanliness laws. For example, eating pig is unclean. Pastors often try to associate this with the difficulty of preparing a pig to be eaten in the ancient world. This may not be the case. We should also not assume that Israel understood the rationale for the cleanliness laws. Complicating the teaching and preaching of the cuddliness codes is that much of this material has been annulled in the New Testament. For Christian Christians, clean and unclean foods are no longer important. Hygiene is important, but a ritual state of cleanliness is not. Harbin suggests a principle: our lifestyles differ from the culture from which we come (62).

The introduction covers several other issues. Harbin discusses the life and soul of both animals and humans (flesh, mind, will, emotions). He introduces the structure of the priesthood and the Levi, the biblical families who served in the Tabernacle. The introduction also includes an introduction to holy days and salvation history. Here, Harbin surveys the festivals in Leviticus with an eye to their fulfillment in the New Testament. “The festivals appear to be links to the New Testament and eschatology,” but they are not designed with predictive elements (82). This avoids the often wild eisegetical interpretations of the festivals connecting them to the end times.

The commentary is divided into sixteen preaching units in two major sections: guidelines for personal and corporate worship of a holy God (Lev 1-10) and guidelines for developing and preserving a holy nation (Lev 11-27). The exegetical portion of the commentary focuses on the Hebrew text. Hebrew is left untransliterated, and most grammatical and tactical issues are dealt with through sidebars entitled “Translation Analysis.” These notes are frequent and often interact with other exegetical commentaries. Since the commentary is aimed at pastors and Bible teachers, the commentary often compares major English translations.

Like other Kerux commentaries, there are many sidebars scattered throughout the book. Some of these are quite lengthy. The sidebar on the Tabernacle Furnishings is three total pages. Other examples of lengthy sidebars include Urim and Thummim, The Colors Blue, Purple, and Scarlet, The High Priest’s Breastplate, Shekel (weight), and Cooking and Cooking Apparatuses. Most of these grey-boxed sidebars are brief paragraphs. There are also several valuable charts (for example, Feasts and the New Covenant, the Priestly Garments). The commentary also includes seven appendices (presumably, they were sidebars that were too long for the body of the commentary). These include Molech, Gleaning, herem, Slaves and Emancipation in Israel, The Year of Jubilee, Land Measurement and Crop Values, Vows, and the Nazarites (pgs. 421-448). For the lengthy sidebar on clean and unclean foods, it was unnecessary to include photographs of the animals (we all know what a rabbit looks like).

Preaching strategies begin with a brief Exegetical Idea, Theological Focus, and Preaching Idea. These short sentences synthesize the commentary into basic ideas to guide sermon preparation. This is followed by two paragraphs labeled “preaching pointers,” summarizing the direction of a sermon for each section of Leviticus. Mark Biehl also offers some suggestions for creativity in presentation. Sometimes, these include references to history, literature, or pop culture. Biehl gives a short outline of key application points to include in a sermon or Bible lesson and a few discussion questions (sometimes as many as ten).

Conclusion. This commentary on Leviticus is worth the price for Harbin’s introduction and excellent sidebars and appendices. Commentaries on Leviticus are sometimes influenced by later rabbinic discussion and application of Leviticus. Other (Christian) commentaries are driven by Christology, using typology to find Jesus in every sacrifice, feast, or coloring in the Tabernacle. Harbin and Biehl avoid these by focusing on the text of Leviticus and explaining it in a way that will serve pastors and Bible teachers who want to accurately communicate this important (yet overlooked) book.

NB: Thanks to Kregel for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

Other volumes reviewed in this series: