Leviticus (ZECOT) by Jay Sklar. A Review
One time, a little over two decades ago, I taught an adult
class at my church on the Old Testament biblical book, Leviticus. After
one of those classes a parishioner walked up and disgustedly asked, “Why are
you teaching on that book? Seriously?! None of it really matters anymore.”
Even after I showed her how it clearly showed up in the New Testament, such as
in Hebrews, she harrumphed and wheeled around and stormed off dismayed. So,
needless to say, I was delighted when Jay Sklar, a professor of Old Testament
and vice president of academics at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, produced
a new commentary on Leviticus. This 864-page hardback is part of Zondervan’s Exegetical
Commentary on the Old Testament: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible
(ZECOT). Though written with those who have the technical skills in mind, it
reads well and will be easily followed even by those with little to no Hebrew
in their tool bag.
The format is fairly standard for the ZECOT series. Each
chapter gives the main idea of the passage, takes in the literary context,
presents a translation and outline, shows the structure, explains the passage,
and then concludes with an application section. That standard format helps to
keep the reading moving along, while allowing readers to stay “in the game.”
It’s easy to pick up at any place in the volume, figure out quickly where you
are, and get right into the middle of things. And with large margins, one can
jot down plenty of personal notes. I know I did.
The whole commentary is, of course, working through all of Leviticus.
And it was almost as if Sklar had talked with my parishioner from over 20 years
ago to answer her question. If Leviticus is God’s word for God’s people,
whatever era they reside in, then in many ways it has a lot to say to God’s
people, even in the 21st Century. And that is the author’s premise,
clearly shown page after page. “Leviticus casts a vision rooted in the Bible’s
larger story and in creation in particular…God’s purpose for his people in
Leviticus is, in many ways, a return to his purpose for humanity in creation”
(2). “Israelites are not only to serve as a signpost back to Eden, but to
manifest it, inviting all peoples to share in its blessing” (3).
Therefore, if Leviticus is about God and what he has done, is
doing, and will do for his people, then Sklar rightly sees that behind the laws
in Leviticus there are some ongoing applications for today, because “these laws
give us a window into the LORD’s heart, meaning we have much to learn from them
as we seek to reflect his image as well” (35). Or, to put it slightly
differently, “the LORD is a merciful, loving King who desires his people’s
fellowship, not their destruction, and so he provides priests and sacrifices so
that his people may address their sin, return to fellowship with him, and
continue in their mission to fill this world with his goodness, justice, mercy,
and love to his glory and humanity’s blessing. This is the story of Leviticus.”
And Christians who hear this story and think of how it is similar and dissimilar
to Jesus and his work, are in a rock-solid place (768).
Sklar does not shy away from any of the hard topics in
Leviticus. He kindly addresses some of the laws that exhibit differences
between the sexes. He also tackles the issue of slavery and how Leviticus was
misused in our American past. And he compassionately reports on God’s criteria
for sexual conduct (such as Leviticus chapters 18 and 20). As a matter of fact,
he looks in depth at the prohibitions against homosexuality, without ranting,
raging or raving, but thoughtfully holding up the ‘what and why’ of God’s
prohibition. The reason for the prohibition is, as he notes, that “humans
flourish when they are rightly aligned with God and his world, including
themselves and one another. In other words, humans flourish not by finding
meaning within themselves, but by aligning themselves with the design that
their Maker has given them and his world” (505).
Finally, because of the role of the priesthood and the chief
priest in Leviticus, Sklar has a lot to say to Christian leaders. As a
Christian pastor, this made his book extremely valuable, in my mind. And as a
Christian minister, let me simply say, I received a few swift and well-placed kicks
in my back pockets by the author. Thanks, mate.
Jay Sklar’s ZECOT commentary on Leviticus is a big book,
physically for sure, but biblically as well. I wish I had had a copy over
twenty years ago when answering that parishioner. But also, for my own sake. Obviously,
this belongs in academic libraries, but it should also show up on pastor’s and
bible teacher’s desks. And I can think of quite a few bible readers who would
find it time and money well spent. I highly recommend the work.
My thanks to Zondervan for sending me a free copy of the commentary for this review. They made no demands on me. They offered me no bribes. No one was held hostage, and no animals were harmed. Therefore, this evaluation is all mine, freely written and freely given.
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