February 1, 2015

"BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?" ASKED SUSAN . . .

Leviticus 1–3

Kristin Dodgen
Sunday's Devo

February 1, 2015

Sunday's Devo

February 1, 2015

Central Truth

We can read Leviticus with confidence and conviction. We have been redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God" (1 Peter 1:19). He calls us to come alongside Him and to bring Him our very best.

Key Verse | Leviticus 3:1

"If you present an animal from the herd as a peace offering to the Lord, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects." (Leviticus 3:1)

Leviticus 1–3

Laws for Burnt Offerings

The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering 1 1:9 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Leviticus with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

10 If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

14 If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents 2 1:16 Or feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Laws for Grain Offerings

When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the LORD's food offerings.

When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil. You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. And if your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the LORD, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 10 But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the LORD's food offerings.

11 No grain offering that you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the LORD. 12 As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the LORD, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

14 If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. 15 And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the LORD.

Laws for Peace Offerings

If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the LORD, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD, lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the LORD its fat; he shall remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 11 And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the LORD.

12 If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD 13 and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 14 Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 16 And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the LORD's. 17 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”

Footnotes

[1] 1:9 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Leviticus
[2] 1:16 Or feathers

Dive Deeper | Leviticus 1–3

It can be difficult to start a book like Leviticus, let alone get through it! But because we know that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), we know that we need this text for our equipping and that God has something to show us in it.

Imagery that returns to my mind over and over as I read these passages comes from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, when Aslan is sacrificed in order to redeem Edmund.

Redemption essentially means to regain possession of something through a purchase. Aslan gives up his life, and by the power of deeper magic that is greater than the beasts that stripped him of his mane, shamefully killed him, and left him for the mice, he rose again and redeemed Edmund. Edmund, with his past failures and betrayal, is rescued by a pure and perfect sacrifice, that of the innocent Aslan.

Like Edmund, we are broken and brutally disloyal. Like Edmund, we need to be brought back into relationship with God; and by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can be (Hebrews 10). Give thanks!

A second truth that stands out to me from these chapters is how God asks the offerer for his best. Burnt and peace offerings must come from our own flock, and grain offerings should be of fine flour.

This shows us that God does not ask for our excess. He asks for the best animals and grain. He asks for what could sustain. He asks for the prized possession. Offering our best is a way to worship God and remember that it is He who provides (Psalm 147:8, Romans 12:1).

Through Leviticus, I am reminded of the great and beautiful sacrifice that redeemed me. I am also convicted of my poor attempts at offering my very best of worship, time, and resources. Because of Jesus, I may bring a continuous sacrifice of praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15-16). Praise be to God!

Discussion Questions

1. What is your redemption story? Have you accepted Christ's death as atonement for your sins? (John 3:16; 1 John 1:7)

2. On any given day, to what or to whom do you give the best of your worship, time, and resources?

3. We can never fully repay God for what He has done, but we can bring continuous sacrifices of praise and good works. How can you love those who cannot repay you? How can you offer your best to God in worship, time, and resources?