Burnt Offerings. Leviticus 1:1-17 Looking at the New Testament from my perspective and observing those from earlier times, I can better understand their thoughts and ways of connecting with God by watching them bring their offerings for sacrifice. Abel offered a burnt sacrifice to God in simple faith, believing that the animal on the altar was in reality a type of One he could not see. Noah also offered burnt offerings of worship; after a year in the ark, he presented sacrifices of holy things to a holy God who could not look upon sin. Once the vestiges of sin had been dealt with, the first human response to God from a cleansed earth was the aroma of the burnt offering. The new beginning was started by worship that symbolized the Person and work of Christ.
Now, in my mind, I see myself as a grateful former slave who has been freed from Egypt and has played a part in building the Tabernacle as a dwelling for God among His people. I approach the beautiful gate with an animal to offer to God as an act of gratitude. God had carefully explained through His servant Moses how a holy God allows redeemed people to come near and worship Him.
There was no casual or cavalier attitude like what is common today. No one said, "I will worship God in my way, and you can worship Him in yours." There was none of that. Redeemed people called to be holy, with a holy priesthood, were to come to God with the sacrifices He chose. The offeror would only be accepted if the offering he brought was accepted. Cain, the first apostate, learned that lesson the hard way. Deliberately turning away from God's revealed will has soul-damning consequences.
"Vayichrah," ("And He called")—the original Hebrew name of the book—is known as Leviticus. It is not primarily a book of instructions for the Levites, but a call from God to come and worship in the beauty of holiness. A holy God reveals how redeemed people can access His presence. Shedding blood is the only way to atone for sins, and the method was not left to man's imagination.
In my mind's eye, I can look back and see how, throughout most of human history, God has opened different ways for people to have fellowship with Him. The dispensations of God's dealings with humanity recorded in the book of Genesis didn't succeed because of man's stubbornness and failure. But at the base of Mt. Sinai, God introduced another dispensation of time by giving the law, allowing people to access and fellowship with Him. Access to God has never been a casual walk into some grotto, church, or self-chosen spot. "My thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord."
The worship of God is always an act of devotion motivated by appreciation and gratitude for who God is and His gracious interest in us. Worship should always be approached with a sense of awe, deep respect, dignity, reverence, and holiness of life that accompanies true humility.
I can see a man looking over his herd, flock, and dovecote to see what he has that would be acceptable to God. The loom of Mt. Sinai impresses him with a holy fear of God, who had spoken in fire, thunder, and earthquake. The law has been given; the Tabernacle is finished and standing in its designated place, and he is—oh, so aware that God is near. He selects the best animal from every one he owns to bring to God. He won't bring one of his overworked oxen. Instead, he chooses the animal that is better than all the rest and sets it aside, watching it carefully to see if there's any defect that was hidden from his initial view. Almost everything has more than one purpose, but this animal has a higher purpose than any other. It is meant to symbolize Christ and lead the offeror into a genuine faith. This animal makes it possible for the man to approach God through faith. God will examine the offering, and if it is acceptable, the man will be accepted. If the offering isn’t accepted, then the offeror isn't either. The offering is what truly matters.
The head of the animal, positioned on the altar, symbolizes our Lord's thoughts towards His Father. It shows that God's plans and intentions were destined to be fulfilled, and the Lord carried them out willingly and completely. The legs illustrate the perfect walk of the Lord in fellowship and communion with His Father. The inward parts represent the feelings and affections of Christ towards His Father, while the fat signifies the health and vigor of the Lord as He hurried to do His Father's will in all ways.
We may not recognize the value of what we do initially, but it becomes clearer when we offer our sacrifices of praise. Symbols may seem so simple, but they hold great meaning to God because faith looks beyond the physical to what our God perceives.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect Man God sees, who pleased Him in every way. There was perfection in the words He spoke and in His work. Even more, there was legal satisfaction when that perfect Man was found. Through the sacrifice He made, God's grace could then abound. When we sing our hymns of praise and worship, it is all for Him. When our spoken or unspoken prayers are made, we enter the holiest. When our hearts pour out in gratitude and reflect on His life, we are moved to worship in faith for His redeeming grace.
The moral perfection needed to be in God's presence is impossible for man to achieve. It is only possible if there is a sinless one without the capacity to sin who can stand in for the sinner. With reverent fear but trusting in the word of God, who said that a burnt offering would be a sweet savor to Him if it met His holy requirements, I see the offeror place his hand on the head of that perfect creature in identification. By doing so, he testifies to his inability to come to God as he is; he testifies that he believes God's word, so his faith is counted for righteousness; he testifies to the perfection of the sinless sacrifice, and then he kills the animal in total identification with it. That was the first part of what he was required to do.
The priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the four sides of the brazen altar, demonstrating the effectiveness of the blood and sacrifice. The offeror skinned the animal so that all its inward qualities were exposed. Each piece he separated from the others was meant to testify to the moral perfections of Him whom the sacrifice represented. This was a type of Christ, shown in the moral perfections of the many offices He holds, in His character, and in His personhood as the Savior. His relationships, His holy life, His suffering, His glory, His supremacy, His authority - every part of Him was perfect, and it is clear for all to see.
When the burnt offering was an ox, the offeror placed his hand on the animal's head, killed it, skinned it, and separated it into parts. He washed the inward parts, which represented feelings, and the legs, symbolizing the perfect walk of the Lord Jesus Christ. The person bringing the perfect sheep or goat took it to the north side of the altar to kill it. There is no mention of laying a hand on its head or skinning it, but it was cut into pieces and washed. The bird offered as a burnt offering was left whole but opened at the wings and spread out. Each animal and each part had a meaning. The ox teaches us about the persistent and faithful service of the Lord, who, in His life, "always did those things that pleased the Father." He never failed or faltered in His duty and could say, "I have finished the work Thou gavest Me to do."
The sheep teaches us about the character of the Lord. "I delight to do Thy will, Oh my God." His submission never ceased, and He never complained about all He had to go through. The dove or pigeon teaches us about the innocence of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was "holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners." The head of the animal, arranged in place on the altar, teaches us about the thoughts of our Lord toward His Father. The thoughts and plans of God were going to be fulfilled, and the Lord did them willingly and completely. The legs teach us about the perfect walk of the Lord in the light of fellowship and communion with His Father. The inward parts speak of the feelings and affections of Christ toward His Father, and the fat symbolizes the health and vigor of the Lord as He hastened to do the Father's will in every way.
The sweet-savor offerings were burned on the brazen altar. The other two were done differently. In my mind, I see the offeror looking at everything in its place on the altar, on top of the wood, watching as that perfect offering is accepted by God. "We are accepted in the Beloved." It is the offering, as important as life itself, that is completely given to God as a symbol of the Perfect One who would come and please God in every way. The offeror would see the sinless one die and be wholly consumed by the fire, knowing that God was well pleased.
I came to realize that reverence for God cannot be worn on and taken off at will. When it is genuine, it results in obedience to God through submission to His Word. The sacrifice must be perfect and holy, offered by a holy priest who demonstrates real commitment to God by sincerely giving Him the best I have. When that is true, worship is in spirit and in truth. There should be no additions or omissions in the voluntary response of the worshipper's body, soul, and spirit—expressed visibly, emotionally, and spiritually. This is how God is glorified. In my heart, I see the one who brought the perfect, sweet-smelling sacrifice of the burnt offering, suited to his ability and understanding of God's grace. Walking home with a heart full of gratitude to God, his spirit would be lifted to praise, worship, and obey the One True God who delivered him from slavery and brought him into a place of blessing.