Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Leviticus 1:3-9 comments: of sacrifices


Leviticus 1:3 ¶  If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. 4  And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5  And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 6  And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. 7  And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: 8  And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: 9  But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Previously, burnt sacrifices, apart from the Passover lamb, have been referred to in Exodus 10:25; 20:24; and 30:9.
The burnt sacrifice is also called an offering.

Exodus 10:25   And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.

See how by contrasting verses 3 and 4 a burnt sacrifice and a burnt offering are the same thing. While I am not much for the so-called nuggets from the Hebrew that many evangelical pastors like to use it is interesting that the Hebrew word has its root in a meaning of ascending, to go up. Think of Christ ascending to heaven after offering Himself as our sacrifice.
Acts 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

This animal, a male without blemish, must be without defect, injury, or sickness, what we would call today perfect without physical deformity. This would degenerate into pure ritual without any regard for God’s authority over the Jews.
Malachi 1:8  And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was perfect spiritually without sin.
Hebrews 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15  For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The Christian also offers themselves a living sacrifice to God and while we are all accepted male and female without restriction due to physical defect our hearts must be perfect and complete toward God, even though as human beings we will sin against Him but have our Advocate in Christ, who is our ransom to God for our sin and our sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 ¶  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Galatians 3:28   There is neither Jew nor Greek [used to refer to any Gentile in Paul’s Roman world], there is neither bond nor free [social status or condition of life], there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

God required a ransom to be paid to Him for sin. Some modern evangelicals and high churchmen like Westcott and Hort among some Baptist preachers I have heard declared that Christ’s sacrifice was a ransom to Satan, which is blasphemy, as Satan is NOT some kind of counter-God but can do nothing without God permitting him within constraints set by God as we saw in Job.

Exodus 30:12   When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

Psalm 49:7   None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

Mark 10:45   For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

1Timothy 2:6   Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

God will offer Himself, blameless and perfect, to Himself in a way we could never accomplish and in a way the Hebrews never accomplished on their own.
Christ, God in the flesh, is the propitiation for our rebellion against God with a propitiation being an act of appeasing God’s anger at us. God did it all Himself.
Romans 3:25   Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

1John 2:2   And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1John 4:10   Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

This sacrifice is offered of the Hebrew man or woman’s own voluntary will. As Paul will say in the context of a church giving to assist other churches in need.
2Corinthians 9:7   Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

The Hebrew puts his hands on the head of his offering in the symbolic transferal of ownership to God, knowing that it is he himself who is worthy of death, and this animal is given completely to God’s service as atonement for sin. This transfer is also noteworthy in Christian belief as first the Holy Ghost and spiritual gifts were given at times by the laying on of hands of the Apostles and then service and authority as a steward of the mysteries of God was given also.

Acts 8:18   And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

1Timothy 4:14   Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Hebrews 6:2   Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

This burnt offering is not for a specific sin but for sin in general understanding that the animal committed no sin but is being sacrificed for the sin of another. Christ also will be cut off and killed, not for himself, but for others.
Daniel 9:26a  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself…

The blood of the sacrifice, an atonement for sin, is sprinkled round about the altar. This burnt sacrifice is a sweet-smelling savour to God, as Christ will be.
Ephesians 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Now, as Matthew Henry pointed out, God accepts the spiritual sacrifices of Christians. No longer are animal sacrifices, pointing to Christ, required.
1Peter 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:15   By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Think of what the Old Testament prophet, Micah, wrote;

Micah 7:18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

One more thing about this offering from this passage. To draw close to God with an offering for us is to draw close to God with Christ as our offering. In this, Jew and Gentile are made of two, one new man and woman, in the Church. The barrier between us is removed and between man and God is torn asunder.
Ephesians 2:11 ¶  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

    14 ¶  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby: 17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

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