YEAR 2, WEEK 7, Day 4, Thursday, 13 February 2025

https://esv.literalword.com/?q=leviticus+1

Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 13 February 2025:

Here is a short video overview of the Book of Leviticus: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/leviticus/

Leviticus 1:3 — If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish.

Without blemish reminds us that God deserves our very best. A burnt offering reminds us that 1) our sacrifice to the LORD must be total, no half-hearted approach to the LORD; 2) only a total and perfect sacrifice can atone for sin, and 3) ultimately, only Christ could offer the perfect, total sacrifice on our behalf.

• Romans 12:1 — I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Leviticus 1:4, 5 – 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.

“Three kinds of animals were offered as burnt offerings — bulls (vv. 1–5), sheep and goats (v. 10), or turtledoves and pigeons (v. 14). Only the rich could afford bulls, the “middle class” offered sheep or goats, as that was the most they could give, and the poor sacrificed turtledoves and pigeons. In all cases, the offering was a real sacrifice. Meat was a rare luxury back then, so it was costly to burn an entire animal on the altar without giving any part of it to anyone but the Lord. This is exactly what happened with the burnt offering (vv. 9b, 13b, 17b).” (Ligonier Ministries)

The guilty person brought his animal to the priest and laid his hands on the animal before personally killing and sacrificing it (v. 4). This was a very visible and powerful reminder of the destructiveness of the person’s sins (which lead to death), the impact of sin on the innocent, and the personal accountability of the sinner. The laying on the hands though also symbolized the transfer of guilt and the penalty of sin to the substitutionary sacrifice who would pay the penalty of sin (death) on behalf of the sinner as the priests would present the offering to the Lord on behalf of the sinner.

For God to maintain His justice, He must punish sin, and those who sin against the Almighty, Holy, Sovereign God must die (Genesis 2:15 – 17; Romans 6:23). Under the old covenant (2 Chronicles 29:7-8), burnt offerings were a means to temporarily satisfy God’s wrath and allow for repentance from the sinner. But more importantly, these sacrifices were intended to be a picture or foreshadowing of what Christ would do permanently for our salvation, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice that we would have perfect reconciliation with the Sovereign Lord, the Almighty, Our Father. In fact, the more you study the Bible, the more you will appreciate how every aspect of the Tabernacle, the role of the priests, and the sacrificial system all point to what Jesus would eventually fulfill, and only through Christ does any of it ultimately make any sense at all (Read Hebrews 9:11 – 10:18 for example).

“Knowing that God is so holy that He must execute His wrath encourages us to see that no wrong will escape His judgment. Knowing that God is so merciful that He allows a substitute to bear His wrath in our place encourages us to be thankful for the great salvation prefigured in the burnt offerings and accomplished in Christ Jesus. Let us show gratitude in word and deed each day for our redemption.” (Ligonier Ministries)

“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 13 February 2025: Pray that God will help you see the seriousness and offensiveness of your sins, particularly the ones with which you have grown comfortable; pray that He will help you see your sin the way He sees your sin. Pray also that He will give you a greater appreciation of the price Jesus paid for your sin and the true value of the gift of grace you have received in Christ, and finally pray that you would be so full of love and gratitude that obedience would become your passion rather than merely your duty and that the grace of God and the character of God would naturally flow out of your life into the lives of those you encounter as a blessing, testimony, and light to them.