Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary (Volume 3) (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries)

It is common to hear jokes about how boring and unreadable the Bible is, especially of books like Leviticus. I’m sure Jay Sklar knows this better than anyone. In the preface to his recent commentary Leviticus in the Tyndale series, he writes:“When I tell people that I’ve spent years studying Leviticus, many respond with the type of smile that says, ‘Oh well, at least he’s not hurting anyone’” (Sklar, Leviticus, 9).That’s funny, at least it is to me. But I’m sure there were moments during, say, fifteen years of in-depth study of the book, when the jokes got old. However, rightly understood, Leviticus is a cave full of treasure for God’s people. And I’m thankful for this commentary because it helped me find the gold.Also in the preface, Sklar stated his goal for the commentary: “To make clear what is it that the Lord said to the ancient Israelites and, in doing so, to make clear what the Lord is saying to us today” (9-10).How did Sklar accomplished this mission? Below are five of the ways.1. Helpful FlowThe commentary opens with an extended summary of Leviticus and issues related to its study. After the introductory material, Sklar proceeds in a helpful pattern of commentary: First, “Context,” then “Comment,” and then “Meaning” for each section passage.2. The Forest AND the TreesThe strength of all good commentaries is that they provide “hi-res” pictures of the text. But this can also be a weakness, that is, if the commentary never zooms out from the specifics to see the larger principles at work and what aspects of God’s character are on display. Sklar, however, at key junctures, was able to zoom out remarkably well. And in those moments, I think many will be surprised – although this isn’t the best way to say this – at how “New Testament” Leviticus sounds (especially with respect to God’s character and his gracious dealings with his people).3. Not OverreachingAnother reason that I appreciated the commentary, is that it was consistently responsible and not overreaching in its conclusions. Let me illustrate this point by starting with a little Leviticus trivia.Imagine that you are an Israelite woman in the ancient Near East that has recently given birth to a male child. Do you know how many days that you are ceremonially “unclean” after giving birth to a male? The answer is 40 days. You can find it in Leviticus 12. But what if, instead, you had a female child. Then how many days are you unclean? The answer is 80, not 40 (also in Lev. 12). But why?Sklar, after exploring several possible reasons, writes this: “We simply do not know why the length of impurity differs between boys and girls” (179).See what I mean by “responsible and not overreaching.” He explains only as far as the text and responsible scholarship allows. That sounds like an easy thing to do, but it’s not. The gravitational pull towards speculation is strong.4. Asks and Answers the Hard QuestionsBut the whole commentary is certainly not 336 pages of agnosticism (“Well, we really can’t know…” or “It’s not fully clear…” or “Scholars disagree…”). Rather, the hard questions are asked and answers are given.For example, which laws in Leviticus apply today? See page 57. And did the sacrifices “really atone for sin” when the New Testament states that this was “impossible”? See page 72.5. A View Towards AccessibilityAs is consistent with Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (TOTC), Leviticus is user-friendly, even to those without formal theological education. The TOTC series often has – and I would say Leviticus is a particularly good example of this – explanations of key terms, many analogies to the modern world, and helpful charts. A personal favorite chart in Leviticus was the decision tree for priests in the evaluation of skin diseases based on Leviticus 13-14. I smiled at the thought of an ancient priest making a ‘cheat sheet’ with a similar diagram.In summary, if you are looking to engage with God and his Word on a deeper level, and you are up for doing this in a book often neglected, then Leviticus (with Sklar as your tour guide), is a great place to start.A Favorite Quote“When the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s covenant commands, they would experience the covenant blessings that humanity was created to enjoy: walking in rich fellowship with their divine King who cared for them and provide for all their needs. This was like a return to the garden of Eden in Genesis 2, where God’s people lived securely in a fruitful land, with all of their needs met, walking in obedient fellowship with their gracious Lord. Israel was privileged with showing the nations this vision of Eden and inviting them to experience it.” (Sklar, Leviticus, 324)

I once thought of Leviticus as the place where Bible reading plans go to die. Sklar made Leviticus a book with profound meaning.I bought a number of commentaries on Leviticus to prepare for a teaching/preaching series. I owned previous volumes of Tyndale Old Testament commentaries with which I was not impressed. Man, Sklar provided a pleasant surprise. (The new Tyndale commentaries are all tremendously improved).While Sklar will never be confused with Milgrom's three volumes in the Anchor series, the commentary has plenty of information without being exhaustive or exhausting. (Sklar unpacks the best of Milgrom and others). He brings up contrasting views, and graciously presents his case for his interpretation. He provides a clear presentation of structure and interrelated threads which knit the book together.Sklar's presentation of Leviticus as a response to the King taking up residence among his people, and seeing the law as how to live to honor the King who is in our presence is convincing.Of particular help is Sklar's interpretation with an eye toward how the law of Leviticus or national Israel anticipates the grace of God in Christ and the new covenant people of God.

There is more in the 50 page introduction than I had ever heard or learned about Leviticus!

It was said of Willie Mays that his glove was the place where triples went to die. I suppose it could be said that Leviticus is the place where Bible reading plans go to die.Many a person has begun a Bible reading plan at the start of a new year with high hopes and the best of intentions. Things generally begin well. The stories found in Genesis keep things moving along and the mighty acts of God in Exodus usually keep the reader on track.Then something happens. That something is Leviticus. With all of its detail and minutiae regarding ceremonial law, many a reader simply loses interest. What, after all, does all of it have to do with the Gospel?Against the backdrop of this reality comes this commentary on Leviticus by Dr. Jay Sklar from IVP's Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series. Jay is Professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, where I took two semesters of Hebrew from him. As unbelievable as it may seem, each class period could truly be classified as a devotional experience. If a man can turn the study of Hebrew into a devotional experience, he can no doubt show us how the Gospel sings in Leviticus. That, after all, is what it is intended to do. As Jay reminds us, “If what we see in the Old Testament is an acorn, what we see in Jesus is a magnificent oak. This is especially true for the themes of Leviticus.”I am very thankful to have this commentary on my bookshelf and I highly recommend that you do the same.

The book is excellent and Goodwill of OC is excellent. This used book was marked as “good” and could have easily been marked as “very good”.

I've served as a preaching pastor for almost a decade and this commentary is among the best I've used. As most every minister turns to D.A. Carson's Pillar commentary when studying John, so too ought Sklar's work be turned to when studying Leviticus.Additionally, those who would like a more extensive treatment of Leviticus will find the author's upcoming publication to be invaluable. It is due out in August and can be preordered now - Leviticus: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament.

Every believer should read this book. Leviticus is considered by many to be the most difficult book to read in the Bible. I suspected that if I knew more about what I was reading and had a better context, it would be rich with relevance and meaning to me. I was right! This book has taught me so much and filled in so many gaps. I'm only half-way through, but I'm loving it! The introduction alone was worth the purchase of the book.

I've got two commentaries on this difficult book Leviticus and they're both good. This one brings Leviticus alive, it sheds light on the sacrificial system and focus it on Christ. It is very readable without dumbing down. Sklar writes really well and hopefully will produce more. I took a chance on this after reading a positive review in Evangelicals Now and I wasn't disappointed.

Excellent commentary