Moses' third book, the Book of Leviticus, is full of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the tabernacle we see Christ, in the priesthood we see Christ, in the sacrifices and the diverse offerings, our Saviour can be traced in type, picture, symbol and figure by all who have eyes to see.
In this present work, our author, Pastor Don Fortner, is keen not to let pass unnoticed any opportunity to discover Christ. Herein lies the value and usefulness of this new work Discovering Christ in Leviticus.
When the Master told His listeners they should 'search the scriptures', He was speaking of the Old Testament and said, 'they are they which testify of me'. Specifically, he declared, 'Moses ... wrote of me' and here in these twenty-seven chapters of Leviticus we rejoice to find confirmation of Jesus' statement as our Lord is portrayed to an eminent degree by His servant Moses.
Leviticus contains very little by way of history and differs noticeably in this respect from Genesis and Exodus. Yet the Voice of Jehovah echoes and re-echoes throughout the book when clear commands and precise conditions for approaching God are set forth. Here God tells His people how and when and where He will meet with them. Men and women should take note of this. If we would know God we must come by the way He prescribes.
God told Jeremiah, 'ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD'. Leviticus shows us how. God will be sought after by men but He shall be found only in the place He specifies, only by the way He determines and only through the blood of a perfect sacrifice. That sacrifice is His Son, Jesus Christ.
Throughout Leviticus we are constantly reminded of this book's divine origin and authority. The LORD, the Living Word, frequently addresses His servant with the words, 'And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him'. We see this in chapter one verse one, and in similar fashion some fifty more times. This is absolutely God's enduring word and while the sacrifices and rituals have long since ceased, the Truth behind the types is today as meaningful and important for a proper understanding of the Gospel as it was when it was first spoken.
Last year shortly after completing this book Pastor Fortner passed into the presence of His Lord and Saviour. We are indebted to him for this labour of love on behalf of the church of Christ. It is also appropriate to acknowledge the contribution of his dear wife, Shelby, in its editing and checking. It is our prayer that the Lord use these pages from the pen of His faithful servant to encourage the Lord's sheep and challenge those yet outside of the fold of God. May our friend's burden to lift up his Saviour in the written and preached word continue to meet with success.
