Leviticus 1:1-17 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today we begin the book of Leviticus. According to many scholars, Leviticus was mostly likely written by Moses himself in approximately the second half of 15th century B.C. It was apparently the first book that a Jewish child studied and contained many of the sacrificial and ceremonial laws that the Jewish people were to follow. From the book of Leviticus we can learn a lot about the character of God.
Today’s passage is Leviticus 1:1-17. Let’s go!
Leviticus 1:1-2 (NIV)
1 The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said,
2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.
On verses 1-2: Where was Moses when God spoke to him and revealed His plans for him and the people he was leading? Moses was in church, or as it was called then, the Tent of Meeting, the place where God’s people gathered to worship and meet with God.
Likewise, if you want God to speak to you and to reveal His plans for you, make it your priority to be in church where you can meet with God and with God’s people. God loves to speak to His people when they are gathered together. So come to church with a hungry, expectant heart, ready to worship God, to be still in His presence and to listen to His Word.
Leviticus 1:3-13 (NIV)
3 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.
4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
5 He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
6 He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.
7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar.
9 He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
10 “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, he is to offer a male without defect.
11 He is to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
12 He is to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar.
13 He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of it and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
On verses 3-13: The first offering God requires in the book of Leviticus is a burnt offering. The purpose of the burnt offering was to pay for (“make atonement”) for the people’s sins. Whether the animal to be sacrificed was from a bull from the herd or a lamb from the flock, God required that a male “without defect” to be sacrificed. Why “without defect”? It’s because God is perfect and holy. This requirement to sacrifice a male lamb without defect points forward to the day that Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, would offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins, to make atonement for us.
Back in Moses’ day, going to church must have looked, felt, sounded and smelled a lot like going to your local butchery: messy, bloody and violent. Why would God require such violent destruction of an innocent animal to atone for sin? Why bother slaughtering it (v5), skinning it (v6), and burning it (v9)? The first reason is because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Second, it goes to show the extent of God’s wrath against sin. God’s consistent stance against sin is what makes God a just God. Let’s thank God for paying the incomparably great price — shedding the innocent blood of His own son Jesus Christ — so that through his shed blood we could be forgiven and be brought into relationship with Him.
Leviticus 1:14-17a (NIV)
14 “‘If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to offer a dove or a young pigeon.
15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.
16 He is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, where the ashes are.
17 He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar…
On verses 14-17a: If a person could not afford to offer a bull or a lamb as a burnt offering, that person could instead offer a burnt offering of birds. In the kingdom of God, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. We all have something valuable to offer God. That’s only because God first offered the most valuable thing to us: the gift of Jesus His Son, the lamb of God. Whether we are rich or poor and regardless of our background, we are all made to worship God.
Leviticus 1:17b (NIV)
17…It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
On verse 17b: The phrase “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” appears over and over in the book of Leviticus. Similarly when we, in response to God’s mercy expressed through Jesus Christ, offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1), we become to God the aroma of Christ, an aroma pleasing to the Lord (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Heavenly Father, thank You that when I was full of defects and could offer You nothing that could atone for my sins, You offered Your Son Jesus who is without defect or blemish, as the perfect offering on my behalf. Thank You that by trusting in what Jesus has done for me on the cross, I too become an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
