Day 43 – Leviticus 1-4

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%201-4&version=NIV

Leviticus. Many a person’s Bible reading plans have ended here. Why is that so? Most of us would have to say that Leviticus is dry and dull compared to what has happened in Genesis and Exodus. Also, the New Testament states that we are no longer under the law, and since these sacrifices and offerings are under the Old Covenant and we are under the New Covenant, why study them?

Let me address these two common questions before delving into Leviticus 1-4. To the concern of the material being dry, or not exciting, I would have to agree that it is not exciting reading. However, I think Bob Deffingbaugh from Bible.org is right on with the following comment:

“Our culture has concluded that anything which is not entertaining is not worth listening to. The media has the task of grabbing a person’s attention, of taking them from whatever they are doing and setting their eyes and their minds on the printed page or the television screen. They do this in competition with other media, trying to do the same thing. And so we have come to the conclusion that we deserve to have all communication be entertaining and exciting.

I would like to suggest that in most (not all) cases the level of drama and hype is directly related to the irrelevance of what we are watching. You have to spice up the kinds of things we see in the media because they have little value, other than entertainment. On the other hand, the greatest and most significant communications of history have not been particularly entertaining. The Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution of the United States are not written to entertain us. If we want to be entertained we turn to writings which begin, “once upon a time,” and end “happily after.” If we want to be informed about things vital to the present and to eternity, we most often must set aside our desire for entertainment.”

And to the concern of us not being under the Law and thus we do not need to study these sacrifices or this book, J. Sidlow Baxter answers that as well:

“Now, any fair study of Leviticus will quickly dispel these misgivings; for, as we shall see, it simply abounds in spiritual values; it has a living voice to our own day; its revelation of the Divine character is unique; and it is built together according to a clear plan. Its Mosaic authorship and Divine inspiration are attested by the Lord Jesus. It is referred to over forty times in the New Testament. All that follows it in the Scriptures is coloured by it; and, therefore, a clear knowledge of it contributes greatly towards comprehending the message of the Bible as a whole.”

In Leviticus chapters one through four, we learn of the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, and sin offering. Chapter 5 will discuss the guilt offering. What is the significance of these offerings?

These offerings illustrate different aspects of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us on the Cross. These offerings, even though they were written roughly 1,400 years before the birth of Christ, are foreshadowings of the ultimate sacrifice that was to come through Jesus Christ.

Theologians often call the first three offerings Sweet Savor Offerings because they deal with the sweet fellowship of communion with the Lord. The latter two offerings are known as Non-Sweet Savor Offerings because they deal with the punishment of sin. Reformed theologians often relate the first three offerings to Christ’s active obedience, or Christ perfect fulfillment of the law for us. The latter two offerings are related to Christ’s passive obedience, or the obedience Christ had in suffering for us on the Cross when he bore our sins on himself so that we might be the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I could say so much more, but I will save that for your own personal study. I encourage you to study these offerings, and look at the cross references in the Bible. Look at how the New Testament writers refer to these offerings or allude to them. In doing so, you will get a better understanding of the sacrifice Christ offered to the Father for us on Calvary.

One last note. These offerings and sacrifices were repeated over and over, because the sin was never fully atoned for. These sacrifices were not sufficient for all time, just for a period of time, and probably a very short time at that! Praise be to God that they are fully atoned for in Jesus Christ. As the author of the book of Hebrews writes,

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Hebrews 10:11-12

Soli Deo Gloria