Leviticus (Concordia Commentary)

Rating:
Summary: Relevant Ritual Commentary for Today's Church
Review: This is a wonderful addition to CPH's commentary series, one on the neglected but vital understanding of Leviticus.

Kleinig is the perfect author for this as well, due to his OT scholarship and personal experience with animism and holiness issues.

Since many Christians see no need or little for time in this important book of the Torah, Kleinig provides such a help for all to get back into considering holiness and cleanliness. He does this in much the same excellent exegesis as Wenham's famous commentary on Leviticus in the NICOT series by Eerdmans. However, being the good Lutheran exegete that he is, he adds the much necessary incarnational and sacramental theology, with the marvelous organizational addition to each section commented on by adding a section on "Fulfillment in Christ" with its pertinent application to today's True Israel.

The importance of this inspired Word of God is for correction of not only justification but sanctification as well. Kleinig observes: "God did not keep his holiness to himself, nor did he use it to distance himself from his sinful people. Instead, he joined them on their earthly journey so that he could share his holiness with them. They did not sanctify themselves; he sanctified them."

Chapter 19 is pivotal Scriptural stuff and Kleining sees it this way as well. God's holiness being given to the people through the means of grace is the focus, not just as Kleining comments: "the poetentially holy Israelites generated their own holiness by observing God's performance and prohibitive commandments. That contradicts God's repeated assertions the HE is the one who sanctifies his people ... they were called to observe God's commandments because they were holy and so needed to maintain their holiness."

So relevant a corrective is here in this Biblical book to modern Western reader's tendency to reject ritual as having any place in our life today. Many wrongly believe that Jesus abolished any need for such OT ritual legislation. However, Kleining offers this: "So churches that prize the Good News of free forgiveness through faith in Christ may mistakenly assume that they should no longer use Leviticus to nurture the saints, even though the entire book is concerned with forgiveness and atonement--more overtly than any other book of the Bible."

Kleinig correctly sees Leviticus' relevance to the church today in aiding her in "returning to her ancient roots and profound appreciation for God's gracious work in the Divine Service through the liturgy of Word and Sacrament. The contemporary church is also being called upon to confront the attacks on the exclusivisity of Christ as "the Holy One of God."

Thus, a great commentary, relevant to rediscovering "Holiness" or for delving deeper and clearer into God's grace in Christ. This is a sizeable additon to aiding God's church to heed His "I am holy thus you are to be holy."