Burnt offerings open

The Book of Leviticus is not full of stories or adventures as we have previously read in Genesis and Exodus. Leviticus is rarely the primary topic of sermons or studies. Yet, to the student of the Bible, it is one of the most important books in that it provides the connection between the ceremonial and ritual law of the Old Testament, with the New Testament sacrifice of Christ.

A complete understanding of Leviticus’ rituals is necessary to an understanding of the necessity of Christ’s personal sacrifice for us. Once a person understands what was necessary in an Old Testament sacrifice to the Lord, will one fully understand what Christ did for each of us.

Leviticus is named after the Israeli tribe of Levi, which was the tribe of priests. Later we will understand that the tribe of Levi was not assigned a portion of land in Canaan, but this tribe was in charge of the priesthood duties. Both Moses and his brother Aaron were descendants of this tribe.

The basis for Leviticus is the describing of how an unholy person comes to a holy God. It sets out the precise nature and description of the sacrifices man must make to please God and atone for sin. There are five general or basic offerings described in Leviticus: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering and the trespass offering.

The first offering, and the one most prominent in the books of Genesis and Exodus, was the burnt offering. Lev. 1:3.

The Lord detailed to Moses how his people, if they make a burnt offering, should be of the male member, without blemish, of the herd, either cattle or of sheep/goats. (1:2, 10). The person making the voluntary offering was to bring it to the door of the tabernacle, place his hand on the head of the offering, and kill the animal. The blood would be sprinkled by the priests around and upon the fire altar, and then the animal was cut into select pieces of the head, the fat, washed insides and legs, and lay them upon the fire to create a "sweet savor unto the Lord." (Lev. 1:9,13).

For those poor who could not afford an animal for the sacrifice, a fowl (turtledove) could be used instead, with its blood sprinkled, feathers plucked, and burned to create "a sweet savor unto the Lord." Lev. 1:17.

It is important to note the comparison with the later sacrifice of Christ. It was detailed that the owner had to select a prime representative of his herd or flock, without blemish. It had to be valuable to the owner. God spared not His own Son, without blemish.

Christ gave Himself to God for us ... "an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor" Ephesians 5:2. The sacrifice had to be without blemish, as Christ later was: this speaks to the perfection of Jesus, "In Him is no sin" (I John 3:5) "Who did no sin" (I Peter 2:22), "Who knew no sin" (II Cor. 5:21).

Like the innocent animal who died and was sacrificed for the guilty in the offering, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust ... " I Peter 3:18).

Just as the blood of the innocent animal was sprinkled, the blood of Christ was shed on the cross in sacrifice for us. There was no forgiveness without the blood shed of an innocent victim.

Leviticus provides to us the wonderful instruction in that it reveals the exact nature and reason for Christ dying for us, the blood sacrifice He made and the necessity for its making. We no longer worship today by sacrifice or blood ritual or in a specific place.

But in Leviticus we learn that we must have atonement for our sins (atonement is reportedly used 45 times in Leviticus), and that this is how an unholy people approach a holy god (holiness is reportedly used 87 in Leviticus).

The teachings of Leviticus are mandatory to an understanding of Christ’s sacrifice. Yet it is routinely considered one of the duller, or grotesque books of the bible. No one wants to talk or hear of the blood sacrifices — yet it is solely because of Christ’s blood sacrifice that we live.