Leviticus 1 - Burnt Offering

 Leviticus is the 3rd book of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Pentateuch, the writings of Moses. In the Jewish Torah it’s called Wayyikra and sometimes called the torath kohanim or Law of the Priests. In the Ancient Greek it was Leutikon and Latin is Leviticus because it treats chiefly of the Levitical priestly service. It was written by Moses and maybe written over time versus in one sitting. Leviticus is all about the holiness of God and the holiness of the people of God.

Leviticus 7:37-38 MKJV  This is the law of the burnt offering, of the food offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifices of the peace offerings,  38  which Jehovah commanded Moses in Mount Sinai, in the day that He commanded the sons of Israel to offer their sacrifices to Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai.

The Burnt Offering

Leviticus 1:2-17 MKJV  Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, If any one of you brings an offering to Jehovah, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, of the herd and of the flock.  3  If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish. He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before Jehovah.  4  And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering. And it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.  5  And he shall kill the young bull before Jehovah. And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  6  And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.  7  And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay the wood in order on the fire.  8  And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall arrange the parts with the head and the fat on the wood that is on the fire on the altar.  9  But its inward parts and its legs he shall wash in water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar, a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Jehovah.  10  And if his offering is of the flocks, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall bring a male without blemish.  11  And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before Jehovah. And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.  12  And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat. And the priest shall arrange on the wood that is on the fire, which is on the altar.  13  But he shall wash the inward parts and the legs in water; and the priest shall bring near all of it and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt sacrifice, a fire offering of a sweet fragrance to Jehovah.  14  And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to Jehovah is out of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtle-doves or of young pigeons.  15  And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. And its blood shall be drained at the side of the altar.  16  And he shall pluck away its crop with its feathers, and throw it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes.  17  And he shall cut it in two with the wings of it, not dividing it. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Jehovah.

“If any one of you brings an offering to Jehovah…” – Voluntary Offering

This was not the beginning of God’s sacrificial system. Adam knew of sacrifice (Genesis 3:21), as did Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:3-4), and Noah (Genesis 8:20-21). They were aware of needing a blood sacrifice to atone for sin in the worship of Jehovah but there hadn’t been one particular place to sacrifice nor had the procedures been codified. Now there was a prescribed way to do it. God gives them specific instructions.

“The sacrificial system was an essential element of the Mosaic covenant, because it was impossible to live up to the requirements of the law. Sin was dealt with through sacrifice.” – David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary

A sacrifice was never of a human being. God never required, and, in fact, strictly forbade the sacrifice of children and human beings. The only time He asked it was of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and God stopped him at the last minute and provided a lamb. It had been a test that Abraham and Isaac passed.

A sacrifice also was not a wild animal, but a domesticated animal. Domesticated animals are valuable to people. They are useful by providing food, labor, covering (skins), etc. Because of their value to a person or family, they are called a “sacrifice”. You are giving something of value up in order to worship God and give it to Him. Domesticated animals were easy to procure, gentle to handle, innocent. They were valuable thus it was a sacrifice, but they were not unobtainable or hard to handle in order to sacrifice them. God’s requirement was therefore something that could be done. He didn’t ask them to sacrifice a giraffe which would have meant trips to the interior of Africa, trying to capture a giraffe and bringing it back the Tabernacle/Temple and sacrificing it. Can you imagine how impossible that would have been for ancients? God also made sure that even poor people could make a sacrifice as doves and pigeons were easily accessible to them. Doves and pigeons had good meat and thus were of value. But they were plentiful, gentle and easy to capture and kill. God did not require they capture an eagle, then try to transport it to the Tabernacle/Temple for sacrifice. God was not interested in the value of the animal but in the heart of the offerer. He accepted a poor man’s offering as much as a rich man’s offering if the heart of the offerer was right.

Also God asked for a domesticated animal versus an animal of prey that killed and/or ate the meat of other animals.

The offerer was to offer only the best as it was insulting to God if you only offered something that was worthless to you, a reject, a throwaway from your resources. When you offer the best, you are saying, “God, You are worthy and You deserve anything I have for You have been good to me! God, I know this sacrifice I offer to You could be used by me to my benefit, but I offer it to YOU and I trust You to provide for my needs.” That is a sacrificial love offering from a grateful heart and therefore it is a sweet, pleasing aroma to God.

These sacrificial animals aptly represented Jesus Christ who was gentle, meek, humble and walked to the cross of His own volition, laying down His life for us as a Lamb led to slaughter.

The animals must be MALE (as considered stronger and more valuable) and without blemish, spot or defect. You were to offer the best you had to give.

Malachi 1:8-9 ESV  When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.  9  And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts.

Jesus fulfilled this requirement as He was without sin, without “spot” or “blemish” and was pure!

The bullock was from “the herd” and the most expensive of the offerings as it was the most useful and therefore valuable. It had the most meat, if you slaughtered it for food. It could work in the field. It could reproduce with a female therefore producing more. The skin was valuable for leather. This would have been an offering of someone with means and wealth. The next was a male sheep or goat, “from the herd”. This would have been the offering of someone with some means but not rich, more middle class. And finally, the offering of a pigeon or turtledove was the offering of the poor. Everyone could give and everyone had the chance of offering something pleasing to the Lord. But it was voluntary!

The burnt offering was a payment of sins in general, original sin. It was a total, complete sacrifice. I.e. every part (but the skin of the bullock) was put on the bronze altar and burnt. The skin of the bullock was given to the priests.

Bullock:
Offerer brings the bullock to the entrance of the Tabernacle/Temple.
Offerer lays his hands on the head of the offering so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
Offerer must be the one who slaughters the bull before the Lord.
Priests present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar.
Offerer skins the bullock and cuts it into pieces.
Priests arrange the wood, start the fire, arrange the pieces of the animal on the wood.
Offerer washes the entrails and legs with water.
Preists make sure it’s all burned on the altar.

Ram:
Offerer brings unblemished male to north side of the altar where he slaughters it.
Priests splatter its blood against the altar on all sides.
Offerer cuts the animal into pieces.
Priests arrange them on the burning wood.
Offerer washes the entrails and legs with water.
Prieses presnt it all and burnit on the altar.

Pigeons/Turtledoves:
Offerer presents birds to priests.
Priests is to bring it to the altar, twist off it’s head.
Priests lets blood drain at the side of the altar.
Priest removes it’s digestive tract, cutting of the tail feathers, tearing it open by its wings without dividing the bird.
Priest throws bird carcass on the east side of the altar at the place for ashes allowing to to burn on the burning wood.

What was the meaning of “lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering” in verse 4? The offerer was identifying with the sacrificial victim. This was an act of transference. The offerer was transferring ownership of the offering from himself to God. He was also transferring his guilt for his sins to the sacrifice. And transferring the motivation for the sacrifice. Laying his right hand, or both hands, on the head of the sacrifice while acknowledging that the offerer was guilty of sin and worthy of death and entreating God to accept the life of the innocent animal in place of his own. This ceremony was done for burnt offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings and, perhaps, for guilt offerings. It didn’t mention the laying of his hands on the offering from the herd or the birds? Maybe it’s implied?

“This was a significant act which implied not only that the offerer devoted the animal to God, but that he confessed his consciousness of sin and prayed that his guilt and its punishment might be transferred to the victim.” – Jamison-Fausset-Brown Commentary