By H. Michael Weiner, 9/14/02
TEXT: Leviticus 1 and 2
The Book of Lev was written to the priests of Israel. It was written so the priests would know how and be able to minister in the office on behalf of the people.
In these two chapters there are 4 voluntary offerings that are spoken of:
1) Bullock
2) Lamb
3) Pigeon
4) Grain (Meat) offering
These offerings are there and voluntary, the Rabbis tell us, because not everyone could afford the animals, but anyone could afford some grain.
The deeper implication, when we consider what sacrifice is for, is much deeper than what you can afford.
We’re going to see that these 4 offerings represent 4 types of believers…
Rom 12:1-2 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We find the phrase “a sweet aroma” 6 times in these 2 chapters, 3 & 3 for these offerings made by fire.
Eph 5:1-2 - Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
NKJV
Yeshua is likened to these voluntary offerings. We also are to make of ourselves an offering. So, how are these offerings representative of 4 types of believers? Let’s see…
The bullock… A large, brute, self assured beast.
The lamb… very quiet, meek, easy to be led
The pigeon… a bird, nervous, flighty, moves quickly at a moments notice.
The grain… flour that is lifeless without blood at all.
These are the differences, but there are also similarities. We see that the sacrifice did represent the person.
Lev 1:4-5 - Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
This is why we read…
Rom 6:4-9 - Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
When He died for us, we died in Him. We become identified with Him. He becomes our representative of our sins before God.
But it goes far deeper than that…
Sacrifice, as it applies to forgiveness of the individual only goes so far. (The salvation experience is everything, but is it an end in itself?) This type of sacrifice of At-one-ment has to do with a sweet smelling aroma to God and, as we have seen in scripture, it talks about our lives being given over to God so that others might receive from His hand.
So as ancient Israel laid their hands upon these voluntary offerings we find the same things happen in the New Covenant…
Eph 5:1-3 - And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Eph 5:24-25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Yeshua gave himself for us…
Eph 5:30 - For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
So Paul writes to the Galatians…
Gal 2:19-21 - I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
NKJV
Could it be any clearer that the offering and the offerer become one and the same.
1) The Bullock
Gal 2:19-21 - I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
NKJV
Lev 1:3a - 'If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish;
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but (you were redeemed) with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Heb 9:13-15
13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Like Yeshua, we are also to be without spot or blemish…
2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; NKJV
1 Tim 6:13-15 - I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
How does this happen?
1 Peter 1:22-23 - Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
NKJV
As we become crucified with Him and rise up to live in new life, we are cleansed of those blemishes in our lives…
Lev 1:3b
He shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.
NKJV
Lets unpack this a little… of his own free will… these offerings were not demanded.
Rom 12:1-2
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable (not required) service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV
At the door of the tabernacle… There is something important about the door of the Tabernacle. The doorway was where Jew and non-Jew could meet. In the times of the Hebrew scriptures a non-believer could only get as far as the initial courtyard which was the door of the Tabernacle.
Why didn’t He say, to go out in the World and offer it anywhere? It’s implied. The door has a relationship to the tabernacle. We can’t just go out in the World, on our own, and make an offering to the Lord. It has to be linked to the rest of the Tabernacle, where the Tabernacle and the World meet, at the doorway.
Yeshua is the doorway…
John 10:8-9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:1-2 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
The World has to see our sacrifice in relation to the congregation of God, His body. It is the difference between us and all the “good ole boys” who do lots of good works, but do not give God the glory, neither are they saved by their good works.
Does the Lord not say many time in scripture, “In the place that I shall choose?”
Have you ever despaired of your life, and wondered why it seems like your offering isn’t being accepted?
The children of Israel sang a song unto God at the Red Sea as they watched Pharaoh drowned in the sea. Some of the less known words at the end of the song go like this…
Ex 15:17 - You will bring them in and plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O LORD, which You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established.
After becoming identified with the offering by laying his hands on it in verse 4 we read…
Lev 1:5
5 He shall kill the bull before the LORD; and the priests, Aaron's sons, NKJV
We read in Luke 10 about this principle that is among the most difficult to make a part of the fabric of our lives…
Matt 10:38-39 - And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
So many of us want God to bless our lives, but we can’t expect God to bless what we don’t kill. We think, if I give it away, I won’t have it. That is wrong. If we give it away, we’re going to have more.
Hear the words of Yeshua…
John 10:10b - I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Are we willing, by faith to give everything to Him? The bullock has to die. If we don’t realize this we can’t really offer ourselves to God. We read in Romans 6
Rom 6:6a - knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with,…NKJV
Some people mistake this for their sacrifice. Some think this is a reference to taking up your cross… rather it means that our old nature (which cannot be sacrificed to God because it needs to be destroyed) which we have in Adamic life must be done away. There is nothing worthy of being given to God in the old nature. So, being crucified with Him cannot be, as some think, a reference to our sacrifice before God, but rather it is His sacrifice for us that does away with our old nature.
2 Tim 2:11-12 - This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. NKJV
So we see the distinction. We have to die with Him before we can live with Him. It isn’t the old life that is sacrificed for him, but the new life He gives us that is sacrificed for him.
2 Cor 5:17-18 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
The risen life alone is fit to be offered to the Lord, not the old life. So we must kill the fearless, self-willed, bullock in us.
Lev 1:6
6 And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.
How many people do you know who live unto themselves and won’t let anyone past the tough outer skin of their lives. They won’t expose themselves. If we’re going to offer ourselves to God, we’ve got to be skinned in His kingdom. By the way, do you know that on the inside, you and I stink? Yes, it is gruesome to see skinned carcasses.
How does this happen for us?
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
We must allow God’s word to strip up of all pretentiousness.
Lev 1:6 - and cut it into its pieces
Sure the Word (as we just read) is sharper than any two edged sword… but the Lord himself, when we fall upon the rock…
Luke 20:17-19 Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'? 18 "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
What does God want? He wants us to fall upon Him so he can order all the parts of our lives in order…
Lev 1:6-9 - The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. 8 Then the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar;
1 Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
1 Chron 15:12-4 - He said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order."
Lev 1:9 - but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice,
Eph 5:26 - that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Ps 119:11 - Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
John 13:8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
This signifies our walk being washed by God. Our walk must be sanctified by Him. Now the offering is ready to be put in order upon the altar.
1 Peter 4:12-14 - Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
On the other side of the trial is glory. There is a potential major problem. If you haven’t died yet, boy does this hurt.
Lev 1:9
And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
This cannot be complaining, kicking and screaming. It cannot be do I have to, but rather as King David wrote…
Ps 119:47 - And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.
Ps 119:77 - Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight.
Ps 119:174 - I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.
Ps 40:8 - I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."
Ps 40:6-8 - Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart." NKJV
Let’s save the Lamb for last…
2) The sacrifice of fouls, pigeons and turtle doves.
Ps 119:47 - And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.
Ps 119:77 - Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight. NKJV
Ps 119:174 - I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.
Ps 40:8 - I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."
Ps 40:6-8 - Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart."
These represent those believers who are flighty. They never hang around long enough to hear from God. Always squaking and flying away from trouble. There is definitely a need in their lives in order that they be made fit for service to the Lord.
Lev 1:15 - The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head,
1 Cor 11:2-3 - But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ,
What is going on here is that these are not living under the headship of the Messiah. They need their heads wrung off so Yeshua can become their head.
Eph 1:22-23 - And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
God himself is to be head over all things.
Let me share with you a case of NT believers who needed to have their heads wrung off.
Col 2:17-19 - Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
Holding onto your own head means doing your own thing regardless of God’s desires for you.
Ps 83:2 - For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
A two headed person is considered a freak.
James 1:7-8 - For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. NKJV
The solution is…
James 4:8 - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. NKJV
Jer 10:23 - O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Here is the answer…
Prov 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
He doesn’t take away our free will, but He sanctifies those choices.
Isa 30:15 - For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,
Lev 1:15-17 - and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar. 16 And he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes. NKJV
What are these feathers? They are his glory and they cannot be given in sacrifice. Vanity, self glorification.
What did Yeshua say to the scribes and pharasies?
Matt 23:26-29 - Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
What is going on inside of us? We’ve got to be willing to let the Lord crop those self glorifying feathers of our lives and put them into the pile of ashes so that we can be clothed by God even as the lilies of the field…
Luke 12:27-28 - Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
Lev 1:17 - Then he shall split it at its wings,
Do you know why? It is time to stop running. Time to make commitments based on the call of God and not on what feels good. Do you think the cross felt so good?
Heb 12:2 - Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lev 1:17 It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
Grain (Meat) Offering
Lev 2:1 - 'When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.
Of course oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. What about the frankincense?
Rev 5:8 - Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Incense is the prayers of God’s people. That means if you are one of these type of people, get your worship and prayer life in order. God will bring you to the priesthood.
Lev 2:2 - He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
NKJV
Well, that was quick. But that is only part of it.
Lev 2:2-4 - The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'. It is most holy of the offerings to the LORD made by fire. 'And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven,
Being baked in the oven speaks of trial in our lives.
Lev 2:11 - 'No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven
Without sin, allowing God to purge us of sin.
Lev 2:13 - And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering.
Matt 5:13 - "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Salt is a seasoning, but it is also a cleansing agent and a preservative. In ancient times salt was used to seal covenants. It was symbolic of preserving the covenant. Oil, incense, salt and unleavened.
Now lastly, the offering of the lamb.
Lev 1:10 - 'If his offering is of the flocks--of the sheep or of the goats--as a burnt sacrifice, he shall bring a male without blemish. 11 He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD; 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 lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 13 but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.
What is significant is that there is nothing special done to it. God wants us to be like lambs.
Luke 10:3 - Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. NKJV
To Peter, Yeshua says…
John 21:15 - He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
NKJV
Lambs can be lead, they follow the voice of the shepherd and will not follow a strange voice. Without a good shepherd, lambs are easily lost. Yeshua says…
John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
NKJV
John 10:13-14- I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
NKJV
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
I pray today that each of us will think about the kind of sacrifice we are making before the Lord.