Preaching Christ from Leviticus: Foundations for Expository Sermons

by Sidney Greidanus

For pastors who take seriously the commitment to incorporate the entire   Bible into their preaching, Sidney Greidanus’s books on preaching Christ from the major genres of the Old Testament have been a welcome gift. In his last such volume, Greidanus engages with the Old Testament genre of law and treats a book that is often seen as the most challenging of Leviticus.  Preaching Christ from Leviticus  reminds pastors and congregations that key christological themes—priesthood, sacrifice, atonement, holiness—first originated in Leviticus before they came to full flower in the New Testament with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his call to holiness. Greidanus provides the basis for fully understanding these and other themes with an exacting analysis of Leviticus and then provides the foundations for ten sermons on Leviticus through topics such as the burnt offering, the ordained priesthood, the day of atonement, the sabbatical year, and the year of jubilee, as well as the commandments to be holy, to love your neighbor, and to love aliens and enemies.

344 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2021

About the author

Sidney Greidanus (born 1935) is an American pastor and biblical scholar.

Greidanus studied at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary before obtaining a Th.D. from the Free University in Amsterdam. He served as pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and taught at Calvin College and The King’s College before becoming professor of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary in 1990.

Greidanus is best known for his emphasis on preaching Christ from Old Testament texts. He has been described as one of the most important and influential authors today in the area of biblical preaching.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to preaching books of the Bible, pastors are like hitters in baseball. Certain books—like certain pitches—are easier to swing at. A fastball may be Romans or Galatians. But then there are the curveballs—perhaps Daniel? Still hittable, but a little more difficult.

To maintain the analogy, we might say that Leviticus is the eephus pitch of biblical preaching.

In Preaching Christ from Leviticus: Foundations for Expository Sermons, Sidney Greidanus provides an aid to preachers who are looking to swing when it comes to handling Leviticus from the pulpit. This book is a continuation of a series that Greidanus has previously published on other books of the Bible like Proverbs, Daniel, and the Psalms. In Greidanus there is a twofold blessing for the preacher: 1) a hermeneutical model for preaching Old Testament texts and 2) the tools needed for expository sermons, like structure, theological application, and how to preach Christ.

With a readymade formula in place, Greidanus handles key passages from Leviticus like the ordination of Aaron’s sons for the priesthood, the Day of Atonement, burnt offerings, and others. The chapters that provide the most interesting fodder are on the Christian application of the Sabbath Year and Year of Jubilee. With Greidanus as a guide, readers—and especially pastors—can get a sense of how they can profitably preach Leviticus as Christian Scripture.

No book can certainly do everything, so if readers are looking for a commentary of Leviticus they will need to look elsewhere, as most of the “sermons” are somewhat cherry picked. Nevertheless, this book is a welcome tool for pastors who are looking to step up to the plate and swing at sermon series on Leviticus.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful guide to preaching what many Christians think of as the most alien book in the Bible. The first chapter is the most important, as this is where Greidanus lays out his approach to interpreting and preaching Old Testament law. The remaining chapters apply the process to a number of specific passages from Leviticus. The appendix includes four sample sermons based on some of the chapters that Greidanus discusses in the body of the book. Unfortunately, they illustrate what, for me, is one of the most concerning things about redemptive-historical preaching: they are remarkably short on application. It's almost as if Greidanus doesn't follow his own advice here, because the discussions in the body of the book don't skimp on application. Definitely recommended for someone thinking of preaching Leviticus.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good thoughts in here, and a helpful summary of preaching resources on Leviticus. But the example sermons were quite dry, and some of the environmental and social justice applications of the sabbatical year and Year of Jubilee were really weak. Not the best resource on Leviticus or preaching the law for a number of reasons.