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.