Leviticus Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Leviticus

Burnt Offering

Title

The Hebrew title is Wayyiqra, And He Called. The Talmud refers to Leviticus as the Law of the Priests, and the Law of the Offerings. The Greek title appearing in the Septuagint is Leuitikon, That Which Pertains to the Levites. From this word, the Latin Vulgate derived its name Leviticus which was adopted as the English title. This title is slightly misleading because the book does not deal with the Levites as a whole, but more with the priests, a segment of the Levites.

Its Relation to other books

An Overview of Leviticus

• The FIVE OFFERINGSand the law of them (Chapters 1-7)
  • Sweet savor offerings(Person of Christ) (Ch. 1-3)
    1. Burnt offering (Christ is our substitute) (Ch.1)
    2. Meal offering (Loveliness of Christ) (Ch.2)
    3. Peace offering (Christ is our peace) (Ch.3)
  • Non-sweet savor offerings(Work of Christ on the cross) (Chapters 4-5)
    1. Sin Offering (Sin as a nature) (Ch.4)
    2. Trespass offering (Sin as an act) (Ch.5)
  • Law of the offerings (Chs.6-7)
• The PRIESTS(In Christ, all believers are priests) (Chapters 8-10)
  • Consecration of Priests (Ch.8)
  • Ministry of Priests (Ch.9)
  • Restrictions on Priests (The death of Nadab and Abihu) (Ch.10)
• HOLINESS in daily life(God is concerned with His childrens conduct) (Chapters 11-22)
  • Food for Gods people (Ch.11)
  • The children of Gods children (Ch.12)
  • The cleansing of leprosy (Chs.13-14)
  • The cleansing of running issues (Ch.15)
  • The Day of Atonement (Ch.16)
  • The place of sacrifice and the value of blood (Ch.17)
  • The application of the commandments to life situations (Chs.18-20)
    1. Immorality is condemned (Amplification of the 7th commandment) (Ch.18)
    2. Social sins (Application of other commandments) (Ch.19)
    3. The penalty for breaking the commandments (Ch.20)
  • Law for personal purity of priests (Chs.21-22)
• THE HOLY HOLIDAYS (Chapters 23)
• LAWS AND PROPHECIES for the promised land(Chapters 24-26)
  • The lampstand, showbread, and the death penalty for blasphemers (Ch.24)
  • The sabbatical year, the year of jubilee and the law concerning kinsman redeemers (Ch.25)
  • The conditions for blessing in the land (a prophetic history) (Ch.26)
• DEDICATION AND DEVOTION - concerning vows (Chapter 27)

Notes on the Text

Leviticus is a book relating to worship. Only those whom God calls does He seek to worship Him (John 4:23; Ps. 65:4).

In Exodus all types relate to redemption but in Leviticus all types relate to worship.

Conditions for service (worship):

Exo. 3:12. Deliverance from Egypt is with the purpose to serve.

Exo. 4:23. Letgoto serve.

1. Therefore, Leviticus contains instructions for a people in covenant relationship with God.
2. God dwells in their midst
3. The movements of their hearts are God-ward.

Their deliverance from Egypt is with service in view (Ex. 3:12; 4:23).

The manner of service is detailed in Leviticus.

The Place of Service

Out of the tabernacle of the congregations - v.1

Gods appointed center

• To which His people gathered
• Where He met with them
• Where they came into contact with one another in relation to things of God.
• Where the communication of His mind was found

NT parallel (Anti-type)

1:1 Tabernacle of the congregations = Christ and the church (John 1:14; Heb. 10:25; 1 Cor. 11:20)

In coming together, saints are taught of God to love one another.

Alas: To live above Teaching is neutralized by human influence (1 Cor.3:3-5).

The saints should come together on the following basis:

• The Truth of their relationship with God.
• Because of 1, their relationship with one another
• There must be holiness if God is to meet with His people
• The people must be together in accord with divine principles (Mt.5:23-24)
  
  

Under these conditions God is free to communicate His mind to them = Ps. 133

Headship: Col. 1:18. While holding the headship of Christ, there will be increase in the Body (Col.2:19).

The early Chapters of Leviticus show the movement of the peoples heart towards God. What causes the movement?

Exodus 29:38-46 gives us the Divine side.

1. John 4:19 - the human response (subjective)

I love my God with no love of mine
For I have none to give:
I love Thee Lord, but all the love is Thine.
For by Thy love I live - I am nothing, and rejoice to be
Emptied and lost, and swallowed up in Thee. (Madame Guyon)

The result of Divine working produces certain desires/exercises in our souls:

1. One exercise is as to acceptance - CHRIST AS THE BURNT OFFERING is the answer
2. Another exercise - perfection in an object to delight his heart - CHRTIST AS THE MEAL OFFERING.
3. Another exercise - because of fellowship with God - CHRIST AS THE PEACE OFFERING is the answer.
4. Another exercise - because of the humbling discovery
   (a) of what is in ourselves - CHRIST AS THE SIN OFFERING (Sin as a nature)
   (b) and consciousness of our own failures - CHRIST AS THE TRESSPASS OFFERING (Sin as an act) is the answer.

All Gods called ones have these exercises, but all do not know Christ in these various aspects; hence there is various grading.

(I John 2:13 : Fathers = elders (Paul) = Shepherd (Peter) = You know Him = life in maturity = fruit of experience;

V.13-17 : Young men = overcome = life in activity = strength; Danger = World and the things of the world

Little children = babes = life enjoyed = sense of relationship

All the wealth of Christ in His fullness and perfection has been given to us by the Father, but we must acquire it.

There is a history of exercise. (1 Tim. 1:10 doctrinal; 4:6 experimental; 6:3 practical)

We must buy the truth = Prov.23:23; Rev. 3:18. For the truth there is a price to pay. Ps.25:9

Truth at the cost of our own humbling

Divine light is given to those to wait on God. The price is patience.

John 7:17 Obedience, the price to know Gods will.

No one can bring what he does not possess. 1 Chron. 29:14

We approach as OFFERERS and as PRIESTS

Note: The BURNT offering comes before the SIN offering.

1. The offeror : has the consciousness that he approaches God in divine favor (Lk. 15:20; Eph. 1:6)
2. The Priest: has the consciousness that he has been washed, clothed in holy garments, anointed, and consecrated ie suitability to God (state) (Lk. 15:22; Isaiah 61:10)
3. Aarons sons: our privilege (Lk. 15:23;1 John 3:1) to be with God in relationship of sons.

Leviticus 1

Verses 3-4 The offeror is possessed of perfection (in another) Isaiah 50:62; I lay my hand on Jesus - the spotless lamb of God

put his hand not a touch of contact = lean heavily Ps.88:7

Entirely on the ground of Christ. Consciously identified with Christ- unblemished perfection.

(Put = Hebrew camak (saw-mak).

Translated: lean = 2 Kg. 18:21; Isa. 36:6

Translated: sustain =Gen. 27:37; Ps. 3:5

Translated: upheld = Isa. 59:16.

"My numerous sins transferred to Him,
Shall never more be found!
Lost in His blood's atoning stream
For by Thy love
Where every crime is drowned!" (C.H. Spurgeon)

Verses 5-6: Spiritual exercises suggested here. True Spirit - give thought of the death of Christ.

Death revealed the perfections of all the inward and hidden parts of Christ.

All uncovered without any discovery of imperfections (John 14:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Pet. 2:22)

Verse 5 he shall kill

'Twere you, my sins, my cruel sins,
His chief tormentors were;
Each of my crimes became a nail,
And unbelief the spear. (Isaac Watts)

Washed in water = Eph. 5:26 = tested by the absolute purity of Gods testimonies.

Are we prepared Ps.139:1, 23-24; John 8:50 cf Phi. 2:21

Priests: Saints are privileged to be priests as well as offerors (Lk. 15:22; Isa. 61:10).

• The man in conscious acceptance has nearness to God.
• Gods original thought (Ex. 19:6) was not a priestly family but all Israel (1 Pet. 2:6; Rev. 1:6). Ex. 19:22 priests before the calling and consecration of Aaron and his sons. Ps. 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his Priests. Deliverance not merely for our happiness but that we might minister to Him. In early chapters of Lev. Priests = not Aaron but Aarons sons. Therefore not typical of Christ but spiritual persons who take up things with spiritual intelligence for Gods pleasure. It is the privilege of all saints to be priests. All are not in priestly state. All may get the benefit of the priestly element. The priestly element is for the good of all and the pleasure of God. Each brings his apprehension and appreciation contribute to all. Ps. 51 Individual exercises lead to collective good Zion, walls of Jer. V.18

How the priest functions: Priestly ability presents every apprehension to God in praise.

Therefore:-

• Fragrance to God Gods pleasure
• Enlargement and edification of saints.

Priestly intelligence: What is for God?

a) Presents the blood (5, 11, 15)

Blood = witness of death

Christ has been in death for the pleasure of God (Ps. 40:5). Our acceptance is the death of Christ. Death of Christ pleasurable to God. Therefore our acceptance pleasurable to God.

The altar:  Ex. 29:42-43 - In Exodus the altar is:

• where God meets His people
• On the basis of the continual burnt offering.
  Lev. 1:4 the offering is the basis where God meets with His people. Heb. 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:5. Christ is not only the substance of every offering. He is also the altar. Every spiritual apprehension brought to the altar must accord with it. Nothing unreal. Expression and singing must be beyond the measure of faith and spiritual power. All apprehensions, feeblest, can be offered by Jesus Christ. (Rom.12).

Fire = Priestly understanding of the intensity of the test applied to Christ.

As sin offering = My God ... My God experienced a consuming fire Heb. 12:29

In the burnt offering = Gen. 8:21. Incense of a sweet odor perfect response to God in obedience; devotedness and love. All was offered for us to God.

Selection of the offering:

• Kind = herbivorous - unclean 1:2, 3, 14
• Sex: male = indicating strength
• Description = without blemish
• Bullock = patient endurance
• Sheep/goat = perfect submission
• Turtle dove/young pigeons = poverty and meekness

Also:

• Bullock = large appreciation
• Sheep = smaller appreciation
• No leaning = no sense of personal identification; certain power of discernment, discrimination, and recognition of each feature
• Fowl = still smaller appreciation

Offeror senses Christ is the only sweet savor to God; lack of ability to uncover and understand the inward perfection; offering not divided. The priest knows how to deal with this offering. And offering a sweet savor V.9, 13, 17 (Psalms show the inwardness of Christ - study with intelligence and affectionate appreciation)