Christ in all the scriptures The burnt offering Intelligence in worship

 Christ in all the scriptures

The burnt offering   Leviticus 1

Intelligence in worship  v5-6  "And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood round about on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces."

We remind ourselves that the burnt offering is not viewing the sinner approaching God in repentance, but the saint approaching God in worship.  He is not coming seeking forgiveness, rather he is coming with thankfulness for what God has done.  He views the sacrifice as that which has reconciled him to God, this is the positive side of our relationship with God.  He comes with intelligence.  He knows he is unworthy of God's mercy; he knows he must be assured of acceptance in the merit of another (in this case an animal sacrifice); he knows the animal must be killed, its blood shed, if he is to worship God.  A sacrifice without blemish will be insufficient, the beast must die, for he knows he deserved to die, and the beast is substituted in his stead.  He knows that God has accepted a sacrifice on his behalf.  Here is the crucial point of the offering, something that would imprint on his mind the reality of approach to God.  HE HAD TO KILL THE ANIMAL HIMSELF!  I don't suppose any of us would miss the implications of that.  Even to hardened men who were used to the slaughter of animals, the experience is not easily erased from the mind (thinks "this is instead of me, this is what should happen to me in the sight of a Holy God").  The reality of fellowship with God begins to sink in.  No frivolous thoughts here, no casual attitude here.  The trauma of this focuses the mind, and humbles the spirit.  The One who was sacrificed is no less than God Himself, who gave His all to satisfy the demands of righteousness, yet He must be slain, He must lay down His life for no one could take it from Him.

The priests collect the blood and sprinkle the altar, for without the blood there is no remission of sin, and there could be no reconciliation.  The offeror then flays the animal to remove the skin.  This became the possession of the priests according to Leviticus 7v8.  The rest of the animal was cut into pieces by the offeror and all placed on the altar for God.  This was no vague blanket offering of an entire bullock, but an appraisal of every part of it that was placed in order on the altar.  This is no glib approach, no ritualistic ceremony, this is a detailed, intelligent, offering to God.  The term "cut it into his pieces" suggests the process used by a butcher when dissecting an animal for sale of its various parts.  In this respect it becomes very graphic indeed.  They say one bullock, when cut into its various pieces, could feed over 900 people!  Such is the variety of the individual parts of the animal.   There are, apparently 18 different cuts of meat, ranging from brisket, chuck, fillet, onglet, rib-eye, rump, T-bone, shin, silverside, sirloin, skirt, topside, and multiple parts of each, to name most of them (apologies if you are reading this as a vegetarian!).  Butchers, restaurateurs, and housewives recognise the value of each individual part.  There is a phrase in 2nd Timothy 2v15, "...rightly dividing the word of truth"-(literally cutting into its pieces, valuing each individual truth).   It is to understand the small details of what is an unblemished, perfect offering to God.  The Bible is a revelation of Christ in every detail.  We should attempt to be less general in our worship, and more specific in detail, as God wants to savour the pleasing aroma that rises from Him.  Particularly, in the four gospels we have endless detail of His perfect devotion to God.  Mass reading of scripture is good, detailed reading is better.  In our worship, we bring Christ in all the infinite worth of His person.  He brings pleasure to God, He is enough to fill our hearts.  God wants us to distinguish and appreciate each part.  We should distinguish the different aspects of the offering, and so become more intelligent in worship.   

Christ in all the scriptures Identification with the sacrifice

 Christ in all the scriptures

Procedures of the burnt offering   Leviticus 1

Identification with the sacrifice  v3-4   "If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it *for his acceptance* at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.  And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him".

*This is the majority rendering, rather than the KJV "of his own voluntary will".  This is confirmed by v4, the presentation is all about acceptance by God

Firstly, and most importantly, the offering must be a male without blemish.  This immediately points to Christ, who was a man, and the only unblemished man in human history.  This can point to no one else but Christ.  We pause and ponder this oft-repeated fact, the offering must be "without blemish".  91 times the Hebrew word appears in the Old Testament, 23 times alone in Leviticus.  The Holy Spirit thus underlines the absolute importance of this.  Approach to God must be through an unblemished sacrifice.  We can better understand its meaning by referring to the various translations of the Hebrew tamiym, which is "whole" in Lev. 3v9; "perfect"-Lev22v21, Deut. 18v13, 32v4, 1st Samuel 14v41, also in Job and the Psalms in many references; "complete"-Leviticus 23v25; "full"-Lev. 25v30; "without spot"-multiple references in Numbers; in Joshua and Judges, the word is translated "sincerely" many times; in Job and the Psalms "upright"-many times; in Psalm 119-"undefiled".  Therefore the meaning is not only physically (outwardly) perfect, but also  inward moral perfection, according to its uses.  Approach to God requires an unblemished offering and this can only be Christ who was totally unblemished in all things when He "offered Himself without spot to God"-Hebrews 9v14.  We dare not gloss over this!  The panorama of words used to describe this are awesome..."without blemish, without spot, full, complete, perfect, sincere, upright, whole, undefiled!"  This is not only the absence of sin, it is also the presence of all that is good.

He challenged His detractors of His day, "Which of you convinceth (convicteth) me of sin"-John 8v46.  Demons testified "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God"-Mark 1v24; Jesus thou Son of God"-Matthew 8v29.  Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, and chief prosecutor declared "I find no fault in Him"-John 19v4v6; The apostles testify of His perfection, Peter, "He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth"-1st Peter 2v22; Paul, "He knew no sin..."-2nd Corinthians 5v21; John, "In Him is no sin"-1st John 3v5.  Above all the Godhead testify, the Father..."My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased..."-Matthew 3v17, Mark 1v11, Luke 3v22.  The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, rested upon Him, inspired Him and motivated Him until the end.  The writer to the Hebrews sums it all up ,"He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners..."-7v26.  He is the sacrifice without blemish and without spot.  Nothing less would satisfy the God of perfection, the great King, the Lord of hosts, whose name is dreadful among the nations-refer  Malachi 1v12-13.

Secondly, the offering must be acceptable to God, he is to present it to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation "for his acceptance".  In Malachi 1v12-14, some were bringing polluted offerings, and also making corrupt vows in the process.  Scripture is clear that approach to Him in worship must reflect the greatness of His person.  A casual approach is unacceptable, due reverence becomes the worshipper.  Romans 15v16 "...that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost"; Romans 12v1 "...that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.."; 1st Peter 2v5 "Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ".  We do not bring animal sacrifices, we bring Christ in whatever way we can, for "He hath made us accepted in the Beloved"-Ephesians 1v6.  We come, not in our own merit, or of any other person, only the worth of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This involves our heart attitude as well as our lip service; it is all too easy to fall into repetitive ritual in our worship.

They were to identify with the sacrifice by placing the hands on the head of the bullock.  This acknowledges that in ourselves we are unworthy, to identify with another who makes atonement for us.  As already explained, atonement is an Old Testament word, and means to cover that which is offensive to God.  The New Testament uses the word reconciliation-Romans 5v11 and others.  The difference is that in Christ sins are not merely covered but removed altogether, and there is no remembrance of sins for they have been put away-Hebrews 10v16-22.  The placing of hands on the bullock suggests the transference of guilt to the sacrifice, which is declared to be acceptable to God.  Identification with Christ is a major subject in the New Testament and involves all that He is and all He is doing.  We gather together in His name-Matthew 18v20; we pray in His name-John 14v13/14, 15v16, 16v23; we sing in His name-Romans 15v9; we call upon His name-1st Cor. 1v2; we agree with each other in His name-no divisions or schisms-1st Cor. 1v10; we discipline in His name-1st Cor. 5v4, 2nd Thess. 3v6; we give thanks in His name-Eph. 5v20; we do good works in His name-Col. 3v17; we preach for the glory of His name-Romans 1v5 and many others.  We are identified with Him in all aspects of new life, and we serve God in His name.  The benefits of this are incalculable, but they bring some responsibility on us.

Christ in all the scriptures True worship

 Christ in all the scriptures

Practical lessons from the burnt offering    Leviticus 1

Invitation to worship

Invitation to worship  v1-2.      "And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, if any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, of the herd, and of the flock."

God calls Israel to approach Him in worship, as He does all His people today.  He calls from the blood-sprinkled Mercy Seat, where His justice has been satisfied.  He calls, not from Mount Sinai, where He thundered the demands of the law, but from the Ark of the covenant which houses the unbroken law, to be fulfilled in Christ.  He calls from the glory of His presence among His redeemed people.  We should be honoured that He calls us in this way.

They did not come empty handed..."ye shall bring your offering".  What they brought was costly, the bullock from the herd being the most valuable-ask any farmer the modern cost of a bullock!.  Worship is actually "worth-ship", how we value the One who gives us all.  Graciously, He made provision for those who could only afford a goat, or a sheep, or a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.  Notably the parents of our Lord were so impoverished they could only offer the latter (smaller) contribution-Luke 2v24).  The only mandatory offering for the service of the Tabernacle was the annual half shekel of the sanctuary which was the same for rich or poor.  Otherwise, the offerings were voluntary, according to individual ability.  King David uttered (2nd Samuel 24v24) "...neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that doth cost me nothing".  Mary of Bethany thought so much of her Lord she broke a bottle of ointment in worship, estimated to be worth a man's wages for a year!-John 12v3  Worship should be spontaneous and according to our devotion and ability.

What they offered spoke of the sacrifice of Christ.    "If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd..."-v3; "And if his offering be of the flocks, namely of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice"-v10; "And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of  fowls..."-v14.  All these offerings preview the one sacrifice of Christ.  What we bring is of Christ.  This is the reason for these studies.  We have already established He is the subject of the whole of Divine revelation, in the scriptures the Spirit receives of the things of Christ and reveals them to us-John 16v14.

In the bullock we see the STRENGTH of His devotion (refer Psalm 22v12; Proverbs 14v4).  Patient, untiring and successful labour in the service of others.

In the goat we have the STATESMANSHIP of Christ as He steadfastly journeyed on (refer Proverbs 30v29-31).  His was no dogged mission with head bowed determination, His was a journey of regal dignity with head held high, allowing no distractions to deter Him.

In the sheep we have the SUBMISSIVENESS of Christ, at all times acceding to the Father's will in all things He did.  Sheep are naturally submissive, and Christ, in humble submission did all His Father wanted.  This is a massive study, and the following scriptures reveal the extent of this-Isaiah 53v7; Mark 14v36; John 6v38; Hebrews 5v8; 1st Corinthians 15v58.  In our pride and self egotism, we should be suitably humbled.

In the turtledoves we have the SENSITIVITY of Christ.  Doves are naturally very sensitive birds, being acutely aware of danger and stench and filth, being pure white in their feathers.  Biblically the represent harmlessness (Matthew 10v16) and mournfulness (Isaiah 59v11-15)  The study of doves in scripture is immense, and is applied to both Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is said to be harmless (Hebrews 7v26); and also He was "A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief"-Isaiah 53v3.  There was no one more harmless than Jesus, and there was no one more sensitive to the condition of this world, as His holy soul was surrounded by sin and sinners.

In the young pigeons we have the SPECIFICS of Jesus' mission.  It is well known about the miraculous inbuilt navigation instinct of homing pigeons who are able to find their way home from thousands of miles away to the very loft from which they left.  The homing instinct of pigeons is now legendary.  They were trained during the wars to carry messages to specific destinations and return home.  They are used as racing pigeons for the sporting enjoyment of many.  Jesus was here on a very specific mission.  This is stated by John in 13v3 "Jesus knowing the the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper...".   The homing instinct was deep within Him, all the while He was here.  He carried righteousness to be enthroned in heaven from whence He had come.  He was on earth, but His heart was in heaven (John 1v18, He dwelt in the bosom of the Father; John 3v13 He came down from heaven but He was always in heaven!).  In the upper room records He constantly referred to going home-John 13v1v3; 14v3v28; 16v7v16v28; 17v5v11. 

Together, these symbolic depictions of Christ provide us with a massive scope for appreciation of Christ in His sacrifice, and we can each expand our own thoughts of Him in our consideration of scripture.  Let us find His worth in every page of the book to inspire us, and occupy our hearts. 

Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus 1

 Christ in all the scriptures

The burnt (ascending) offering-part 1   Leviticus 1

All for His glory!

FACT: All the offerings are different aspects of the one offering of Christ, and therefore relevant to believers today.

This is the first and greatest of the offerings.   All the other offerings were placed on the permanent burnt offering, which was never extinguished.  The key verse is 1v9, where "the priest burnt all on the altar".  This distinguishes it from the other offerings. all of which were shared with the priests or the worshippers, but the burnt offering was all for God.  This is foundational to the one offering of Christ, and it is important we grasp this for our proper understanding.  We are too often self-centred in the matter of our salvation in Christ, whereas scripture invites us to become God-centred.  We sing "It was for me, yes all for me, oh love of God so rich so free...".  However hymnology is not always theology, and here is an example.  The sacrifice of Christ at the cross was primarily for God, and we are blessed as a result.   The restoration of the glory of God, in the sacrifice of Christ, has opened the Divine treasure house of benefits for us.  In all other offerings, there are benefits Godward and manward, but this is all for the glory of God, and this is the primary consideration.  It has pleased the Spirit of God to place the burnt offering first in God's estimate, He wants us to understand that this is the highest and noblest aspect of the death of Christ.  Each of the offerings presents a different aspect of the one offering of Christ, this is reflected in the gospel records.  The gospel of Matthew reflects the trespass offering; Mark, the sin offering; Luke the peace offering; John the burnt offering.  The grain offering is seen across all four gospels, being the perfection of Christ's life, as the food offering that enhanced the flame of  all the offerings. 

John's gospel is replete with the fact that the sacrifice of Christ was primarily for the glory of God.  Consider the following texts and observations:

John 10v17 "Therefore doth my Father love me for I lay down my life that I might take it again".  It was devotion to the Father that caused Him to lay down His life.

John 12v27-28  "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.  Father glorify thy name.  Then there came a voice from heaven, saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again".   He suffered the trauma of Calvary to glorify the Father's name.

John 13v31-32 "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him".

John 13v13  "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son..."  This extends beyond the cross, into the church age, when those whom He has saved will make requests in His name for the glory of the Father.

John 14v31  "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.  Arise let us go hence".  From the upper room He went to Gethsemane, then Gabbatha, then Golgotha, in obedience to, and for love of the Father.  The WORLD MUST KNOW He went to the cross for the honour of His Father!

John 17v1  "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father the hour is come; glorify thy Son that thy Son also may glorify thee".

John 17v4  "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do".

Without question, this is the highest view of the sacrifice of Christ; this is the burnt offering, that He was all on the altar for God.  All else flows from this!

There are a number of notable omissions in John's gospel which enhance this view.  John was closer to Christ than most other disciples; he was present at the transfiguration, at Gethsemane, and he alone of the twelve, stood by the cross, so his knowledge of the facts was unsurpassed.  Yet John omits the sweat and tears in Gethsemane, or the flight of the angels to sustain Christ in His agony in the garden.  He makes no mention of the hours of darkness, or the declaration of forgiveness on guilty Israel, or even the repentance of one of the malefactors crucified with Him.  It is not that he did not know these things.  It is they did not fit his presentation of Christ, which is, that it was all for the glory of God.  If only we could grasp this perspective, it would raise our worship to higher levels, for this is the ultimate view of the death of Christ.  Through this we become God-centred rather than self-centred, which is where we should be. 

We live in days of self-glorification, and glorification of men.. This spirit has entered the church in a way that is unbecoming.  Songs are sung that are more about the singer than the One about whom they are singing; sermons are being preached which are about men, rather than the God whose word they preach.  This error was present in the church at Corinth, and is prevalent today.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as he writes to us today-"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord", 1v31; "let no man glory in men"-3v21; "your glorying is not good (they were even glorying about a casual attitude to sin in their midst)-5v6; "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."-10v31.  We have as our great example, our Lord Jesus, who did everything, spoke every word, thought every thought, all to the glory of God.

Next time we will consider the chapter from the practical view as follows:   

1v1-2  Invitation to worship

1v3-4  Identification with the sacrifice

1v5-6  Intelligence in worship

1v7-8  Intensity in worship

Christ in all the scriptures Overview of Leviticus

 Christ in all the scriptures

Overview of Leviticus

Why study Leviticus?  What profit is there in a book which promotes Old Testament ritual, much of which is discarded for Christian worship today?  There is no demand to keep the Sabbath for Christians; no restriction on what food we eat; no priestly caste controlling religious services; no sacrificing of animals; no demand for annual festivals.  So, again we ask, what relevance does this book have for us today, and why should we study it?  This observation is important, for the reality is, we don't study it, whether in public teaching or in personal study.  It is the most neglected book in church communities today, being deemed either too difficult to understand, or too irrelevant to Christian life today.  This is regrettable for a number of reasons for it is actually the most revealing book about human sin, about the holiness of God, and about the efficacy of the work of Christ.  Indeed it was the first book to be taught to young Jews when learning their religion.  It was seen to be the most important of all studies, since it contains the law of God for His people, and the young Jew had to learn that association with God made many demands upon them.  It is the last book that Christians learn and the least book expounded on platforms or written in books in the wider Church.  Perhaps our sense of morality, today, is diminished as a result.

Leviticus is all about the laws of God for a people who worship Him.  In chapter 1-16 there are ritual laws, most of which are now abolished because Christ has fulfilled them all and there is no need for them any more.  In chapters 17-27 there are moral laws which govern our behaviour in association with God.  It will become clear that individual transgressions can affect the whole community and therefore diminish the value of  corporate worship.  

We cannot understand the nature of sin unless we understand the nature of God.  This is why the holiness of God is declared over 100 times in Leviticus.  We cannot understand the value of the sacrifice of Christ for us, until we know the depth of human sin in all its forms.  It is far to easy to quote and sing, "Jesus died for me" without proper awareness of what that means.  Therefore our worship is unacceptable to God, unless we know the reality of it.  The apostle James warned, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil,  Therewith bless we God, even the Father,; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing..."-James3v8-10.  This is the type of glib Christianity produced by failure of leaders to teach morality.  We live in days of "easy believism", taking to ourselves the benefits of forgiveness, without also realising the responsibilities.  

We know, for we are so instructed in the New Testament, that Jesus has fulfilled all the ceremonial law, and so it is abolished; He has fulfilled all the moral law (which we are to follow-Romans 8v4, because we now can).  The extent to which He has done this is all-embracing; there is nothing left for us to do.  All we can do, and as true worshippers we should, is follow Him and display the image of God in which we were created, and to which in Christ we have been restored.  Leviticus proclaims the absolute holiness of God, His absolute revulsion against human sin, and the remedy, which is Christ.  

There is a 3-fold nature of sin unfolded in the book 

1) Sin is unlikeness to God.  He is holy and the restrictions placed on those approaching God declares we are unholy.  150 times there is reference to the word holy in Leviticus.  Holy means pure, clean, blameless, unblemished, morally perfect.  The sheer number of restrictions demonstrate just how unholy, unlike God, we are.

2) Sin is an offence to God.   We have a sinful nature, and, whether by intention or ignorance, we are constantly offending Him, while trying to worship Him!  This is why they needed daily, weekly, monthly, annually, ritual cleansing.  The only way is through sacrifice, which is the point of the book.  This is why we need personal examination and confession.

3) Sin puts us at a distance from God.  The offerings are approach offerings, which have the thought of drawing near.  We cannot draw near to One who is repulsed by sin-refer James 4v8-10.  The description of our unconverted state is "alienation" in Ephesians 5v17-20.  Approach (drawing near) to God is by the beautiful entrance gate, the altar of sacrifice, the laver of cleansing, and the two vails, all of which speak of Christ.

The primary aspect of salvation from sin in the book

Atonement  Hebrew kaphar; literally means to cover over; occurs 45 times in Leviticus, (13 times alone in chapter 16).  First occurrence is in Genesis 6v14 where the ark was made watertight by covering it with pitch, within and without.  A kind of parallel is in Acts 17v30 "the times of this ignorance God overlooked-R.V.  There is no concept in the O/T meaning of atonement, that sins were put away, they were only covered over until Christ came.  This is clarified in Romans 3v25, "...to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God".  Through all the centuries of time, God overlooked, covered over, the sins of the past, in magnificent forbearance, in the prospect of the sacrifice of Christ, who would come as "...the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world"-John 1v29.  God suffered long the ways of men, knowing that His Son would remove the offence.

Necessary to this accomplishment were three stages: SUBSTITUTION by a flawless sacrifice/IDENTIFICATION, by placing the hands upon it/DEATH of the animal to the extent of shedding blood-the offeror was to kill the animal personally, signifying that sin meant the death of the substitute.  This way, those who draw near to God in worship are conscious of the seriousness of sin, and of the cost of the remedy.

This is Leviticus, the book that defines real worship.  God help us to jettison from our hearts mere ritual attendance/conformity to men/ hypocritical sanctimoniousness/a form of godliness and all the other manifestations of pseudo-Christianity.   Leviticus is 70% the direct words of God.   It is a record of His demands for approach to Him in all His perfection.  All these demands, every last one, has been met in Christ, but, in the study of them, we learn how much we owe, and are better equipped to worship Him.  In Leviticus God is speaking directly, will we hear Him?

Christ in all the scriptures The offerings

 Christ in all the scriptures

Overview of the offerings

"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, if any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock"-Lev. 1v1

The following appears to be the universally accepted understanding of the 5 major offerings.

• Burnt offering (Leviticus 1, Olah) a sacrifice to be burned on the altar from cattle, goats, sheep, or birds. ,  
• Grain offering (Leviticus 2, Minchah) a grain offering mixed with oil and frankincense.  Part was burned on the altar, the remainder was consumed by the priests
• Peace offering (Leviticus 3, Shelem) a peace offering, part of which was burned on the altar, the remainder eaten by the officiating priest and the offeror.
• Sin offering (Leviticus 4, Chata't) a sin offering brought for sins of omission or accidental transgressions.  The procedure differed for individuals, public officials, and instances of communal guilt.
• Trespass offering (Leviticus 5:1 - 7:7, Ashram) a guilt offering for specific sins

None of the above ritual sacrifices, apparently, has any meaning or relevance to the Gentile (non Jewish) world; that is until New Testament revelation proclaims that all these pointed to the one sacrifice of Christ in His life and death on the cross.  This is made clear in Hebrews 10v1-18, where all the offerings are listed (Peace sacrifice and Grain offering; Burnt offerings and Offerings for Sin-v5-7) find their answer in the one offering of Christ-refer v10, v12, v14  The Old Testament sacrifices are contrasted with the sacrifice of Christ.  They could never make the worshippers perfect (v1); they could never take away the guilt of sin for their repeated and endless use was a reminder of sins (v2-3); it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (v4); they could never satisfy God, nor bring Him pleasure (v5-7), and in worship this is the one requirement, otherwise worship is futile.  In contrast, the one offering of Christ (v10, v12, v14) has met all requirements, and now we can approach without the sense of guilt, knowing that our sins are removed, that God is fully satisfied, and Christ is enthroned (enshrined) in heaven and our approach to God is inviolable.  This results in the amazing invitation to us all to approach with boldness (v22), not with brashness, fully confident that the one sacrifice of Christ has fitted us for true worship.

All this points to the true interpretation of the Old Testament offerings, which are depicting, not our approach to God for salvation, as some suggest, but our approach as an already redeemed people in worship, acceptable to God.  Therefore THE OFFERINGS ARE DEPICTING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE ONE OFFERING OF CHRIST, and God wants us to understand the fine distinctions.

 

Mankind was created to worship the true God (made in the image of God).  Sin entered and corrupted everything, and now the redeemed are said to be a new creation, whose existence, primarily is to worship.  Israel were redeemed to worship, and the redeemed of the Gentile world worship God.  The sooner we realise we are reconciled to worship as our primary function the better.  There is much to learn in the overview of the offerings.  We can see that in the burnt offering, all the sacrifice was on the altar for God-Leviticus 1v9.  This first offering was all for God, for His satisfaction, for His pleasure.  It is the highest view of all the offerings, called the ascending offering, that in the burning emitted a sweet savour to God in contrast to the stench of earth from a sinful world.  This aspect is developed in the gospel of John.  This sets the tone for all the rest and presents the Godward aspect of the sacrifice.  Sometimes we are self conscious and think more of what we get out of it, rather than what it meant to God.  In fact the priests received the skin of the animal, and so, in the ascending offering we are clothed wit the robes of righteousness that results from the death of Christ.  In the grain offering, which, as we shall see, typifies the perfection of Christ at all stages of His life, we learn that all the frankincense was for God-Leviticus 2v16, as well as part of the offering, while Aaron and his sons took their handful.  This aspect permeates all four gospels for the perfection of His life adds to the flame ascending to God.  The grain offering is said to be "most holy unto the Lord", and the sheer perfection of that life enhanced the aroma rising above.  The peace offering, also known as the food offering, or the fellowship offering, views the sacrifice of Christ as that which reconciles God and man.  We note that all the fat was for God-3v16, (the best of the animal), and both God and man partook of the meat portions.  Two parties, once apart, now reconciled and dining at the same table.  When God is satisfied in every vestige of His being, He can freely fellowship with men and women in the offering of Christ once for all.  This is predominantly expounded in the gospel of Luke.      Peace with God can also mean peace with men-Luke 2v14.  The fat of the peace offering greatly enhanced the flame of the burnt offering.

In chapters 4/5 are the sin and trespass offerings.  Together thy deal with all matters of sin as offences to God.  The sin offering is for what we might call sins of omission, where largely, we are unaware of our offence toward God.  We come short of His standard through ignorance.  The trespass offering is for wilful sins where we either know we are overstepping the law of God, or should know the demands.  Repeatedly it is stated that ignorance of the law is no excuse, for we should know-"though he wist it not, yet us he guilty".  These offerings for sin mean that every aspect of our offence to God is covered in Christ.  Romans 8v3 says (KJV) "God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh".  The Greek word peri as in "for sin", means encompassing every aspect of sin.  On the cross God condemned all our sin in His Son.  These offerings were not burnt on the brazen altar but outside the camp, separate from the other offerings.  A study of the word "fire" reveals that the flame on the altar was a slow burning flame, emitting an ascending sweet savour; on the contrary the flame which consumed the sin offerings was a conflagration, a sudden furnace which consumed all.  God will expunge all sin from existence and He demonstrates this at Calvary.  We shall never know the extent of the suffering of Christ for sins.  Only God knows, enough for us to know our sins are gone, never again to be remembered.  In these offerings, all the blood was for God, for the mercy seat, for the priesthood, presented before the tent of the congregation to the Lord, for through the blood is the remission of sins.  1st John 1v9, (KJV) "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".  The principles of the sin and trespass offerings are expanded in the gospels of Mark and Matthew respectively, which can be a matter of discussion later.  The homogeneous nature of scripture is a constant wonder! 

Christ in all the scriptures Leviticus

 Christ in all the scriptures

Leviticus a call to worship

“Ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”-1st Peter 2v5

The title of the book gives a clue to its meaning.   The Hebrew word wayyiqra translates as “He called”; it has been presumed that Leviticus refers to the service of the Levites whom God separated for tabernacle duties, but their role was more administrative, whereas Leviticus is all about priestly service.   It is all about God calling His people to worship.   Indeed the entire 27 chapters could be divided by the phrase “The Lord spake unto Moses” or something similar, and each section is a fresh revelation of truth, of which there are 37.  Leviticus is unique in that most (70%) are the direct words of God to Moses.  In Leviticus God is speaking, He is calling His people to worship and is setting the acceptable standards of approach.   A reading of the book will impress on us that we approach God in His prescribed way and within certain limits.   God is essentially holy, and we are essentially sinful and there is a need for reverence as we approach Him.  Over100 times the word “holy” (quodesh) occurs, and so the emphasis is on sanctification.  Throughout, the remedy for sin is detailed in all its different aspects, and it is no surprise that the remedy is Christ whose one offering for sin is typified in the variety of offerings in Leviticus.   There are two major sections in the book which outline the requirements of approach to God:

Public worship       chapters 1-16

1) The laws of sacrifice  chapters 1-7

2) The Aaronic priesthood  chapters 8-10

3) The laws of ritual cleanliness  chapters 11-15

4) The day of atonement  chapter 16

Private worship      chapters 17-27

5) Personal conduct  chapters 17-20

6) Priestly conduct  chapters 21-22

7) Sabbath and feast days  chapter 23

8) Preparation for service  chapters 24-25

9) Punishments  chapter 26

10) Sanctification of the land  chapter 27

The conjunction “and” (v1) suggests a continuation from Exodus 40.  Wonderful how the scriptures flow from one book to another. That chapter ends with the glory of God descending on the finished tabernacle-Exodus 40v34.  It is from the glory that God calls His people to worship.  He is not calling from the throne of judicial government, His call to worship is from the mercy seat where He dwells, from the blood-sprinkled mercy seat where His justice has been satisfied  There need be no fear in worship or doubt.  Approach is on His terms; the fact that all can approach is amazing, and we should revere the One who calls us. This is the major theme of the book, and it becomes obvious that conduct of life is associated with the offerings of the heart. 

Christ taught in John 4v21-24 that God seeks our worship; that it was from no set place on earth (v21), that it was in spirit (the inward man, the reality of the heart); that it was in truth (according to the truth of His word)-(v24).  Worship is not to be understood as an ACT, but more as an ATTITUDE.  It is to pervade everything that we do. The New Testament oozes with examples of worship, and some are tabulated below.

Paul saw his gospel preaching as worship-Romans 1v9; 15v16

Personal devotion of our bodies to God is worship-Romans 12v1

Giving of material possessions is worship-Philippians 4v18; Hebrews 13v16

The fruit of our lips, continually is worship- Hebrews 13v15

Good works in the community is worship-1st Peter 2v12

Loving your enemies is worship-Matthew 5v45-46

Loving the brethren is worship-John 13v34-35

This is why Israel were redeemed from Egypt's bondage, it was to worship the Lord-Exodus 4v23; 5v1; Acts 7v7.  In each verse the word serve is religious service (worship).  This is why we are saved out of the tyranny of the world; it is to worship Him, revere Him in word and deed.  The way to that is progressive sanctification (setting apart from evil) which is the message of Leviticus, and this will involve every aspect of our lives.  

Christ in all the scriptures Glory came down

 Christ in all the scriptures

"Heaven came down and glory filled my soul"  Exodus 40v34-38

(John W Peterson   USA)

"Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle...for the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys". 

This was the fulfilment of Exodus 29v45-46, the promise of God to dwell with His people.  The ultimate purpose of redemption is glorification, nothing less.  Moses finalised the work and oversaw the erection of the excellent structure.  The glory of God descended in the cloud.  The contrast from Genesis to Exodus is startling.  From driving out man from the paradise of Eden, and preventing any return (Gen. 3v24), we now have God coming down to redeemed man in the full display of majestic glory-Exodus 40v34-38.  Such was the aura of the glory in the cloud, Moses, nor anyone else, could enter.  There would be times he could enter, but, at this, the inauguration of the Tabernacle, the glory was palpable.  There are other times indicated later when the full orb presence of God precluded creature entrance, such as at the dedication of the temple-2nd Chronicles 7v1-2; also at the end times overflowing of wrath on a godless world-Revelation 15v8.  This was no mean ratification of the work, this was God stamping His approval on the work with all the vigour of His being.  He dwelt among them in the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night.  This was His presence among them, His guidance of them, and His protection of them in all their journeys.

The magnificent spectacle resonates throughout scripture and indicates God's desire to dwell with man.  This is the ultimate experience-God with us!  The Creator dwelling with the creature in harmony.  As the New Testament unfolds, justification will lead to glorification!  Redemption (restoration of all that was lost) will culminate in glorification.  We see this:

At the establishment of the offerings for service...Leviticus 9v23-24

At the dedication of the temple of Solomon...2nd Chronicles 7v1-3

At the birth of Christ...Matthew 1v23 (God with us); John interprets this as the glory of God come down-"And the word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us; (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth"-John1v14.

At the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church...Acts 4v31; 1st Corinthians 12v13.  There never has been a time like the age in which we live, when the God of glory dwells with us-He is with us from spiritual birth through all of life.  The neglected truth of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God was taught by Jesus in the upper room: John 14v16 "He abides with us for ever"; v17 "He dwelleth within you and shall be in you"; John 16v13 "He will guide you into all truth...He will shew you things to come"; v14 "He shall glorify Christ" (this is the focus of these blogs).  The principle work of the Spirit is to reveal Christ in those who believe. 

Believers today are described in the Greek New Testament as the temple of God.  The word used is naos meaning inner temple and refers to the holiest of all and the holy place of the O/T.  This can be translated as the inner shrine of the presence of God.  This is applied in three ways: 1) To each individual believer-1st Corinthians 6v19-20 "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own";  2) To each local church gathering-1st Corinthians 3v16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"; 3) To the universal church, the body of Christ-Ephesians 2v21 "In whom (Christ) all the building fitly framed together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord"

The final sketch of all of this is in Revelation 21v3 in the new heaven and the new earth, describing conditions in the eternal state; "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God".  .This is the utopia of all existence, God and man in harmony for ever.  God has promised to be with His people always as indicated in Matthew 28v20, Hebrews 13v5-6 and the like.  However we must sound a WORD OF CAUTION.  He will not tolerate wilful evil and example after example is found where He found it necessary to withdraw from them, although such separation was only temporary.

1st Samuel 4v20-22 1CHABOD was the name given to a new born as the mother died, declaring that "The glory is departed from Israel".  This lasted for over 20 years (7v2)!

Ezekiel  Because of rank idolatry the glory of God was withdrawn gradually and the nation placed into exile: note the slow deliberate withdrawal in the prophecy; 8v2-4; 10v4, 10v18-19; 11v22-23 "And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city".    There is no record that the glory returned, although the prophet Hosea and others indicated that it would in the future.  

The Lord promised to be with the church until the end of the age-Matthew 28v20 but that was in the context of them evangelizing and teaching the converts.  We dare no play fast and loose with Divine privilege, and there is evidence He may withdraw from open sin.  In Revelation 2 Christ threatened to remove the lampstand because of their loveless orthodoxy.  In Revelation 3 He declared the nominal church at Sardis to be dead-no church that is dad has the presence of God.  Again in Revelation 3 Christ stood outside the door of the church, being nauseated by their rank materialism.  

God's presence among us is an inestimable privilege and we should respect it and revere it.  The tabernacle, without the glory of God would have been just an expensive tent and nothing more.  Our churches are nothing without the presence of God, they are just social gatherings, in many cases for the worse and not for the better.  Do we sense the supernatural presence of God in the gatherings, or are we simply nominal churches promoting the traditions of men?  Five out of seven churches in Revelation 2/3 were told to repent by the Lord of the churches walking in the midst.

GOD WITH US...let us make it a reality.  Let it be when the untaught and the unbeliever come amongst us they will say "God is here!"  Let it be when the members gather, they are inspired by the Divine presence.