Freewill Offerings Leviticus 1 3 Introduction to Leviticus

Freewill Offerings Leviticus 1 -3

Introduction to Leviticus • Comparison/Contrast to Surrounding Books • Time Spans • Genesis – Around 2, 500 Years • Exodus – Around 100 Years • Leviticus – 1 Month (Ex. 40: 17; Num. 1: 1) • Worship • Exodus – Where God is to be Worshipped • Leviticus – How God is to be Worshipped • Access to God • • Genesis – Access to God Guarded by Cherubim (Genesis 3: 24) Exodus – Tabernacle is Built, But No One Can Enter (Ex. 40: 34 -35) Leviticus – God Calls Moses “From the Tent…” (Lev. 1: 1) Numbers – God Speaks “In the Tent…” (Num. 1: 1) • Leviticus Shows How to Draw Near to a Holy God • Instructions Would Not Be Burdensome to Original Audience • Apart From God Telling us, We Don’t Know How to Draw Near • Offerings, Tabernacle, Priests, etc… All Anticipate Jesus

Parallel Structure [A] Rituals (1 -7) [B] Priesthood (8 -10) [C] Purity – Ritual (11 -15) [D] Day of Atonement (16 -17) [C] Purity – Moral (18 -20) [B] Priesthood (21 -22) [A] Rituals (23 -27)

Outline of Leviticus 1 -3 • Opening of Leviticus (1: 1 -2) • Freewill Offerings (1: 3 -3: 17) • Burnt Offering (1: 3 -17) • Grain Offering (2: 1 -16) • Peace Offering (3: 1 -17)

Opening of Leviticus (1: 1 -2) • God Calls Moses (vs. 1 -2 a; cf. Ex. 3: 4) • Pattern of Glory Descending, Then God Calling Moses • At Sinai (Ex. 19: 16 -20; 24: 15 -17) • At Tabernacle (Ex. 40: 34–Lev. 1: 1) • Tabernacle is Like a Mobile Mount Sinai • Speaking to & Through Moses From Tent • No Other Book Has More Direct Speech From God • Moses is to Tell the “People of Israel…” • Leviticus For Whole Nation (Not Just Levites) • General Statement For Offerings (vs. 2 b) • “Offering” is “Korban” in Hebrew • Root Word Means, “To Come Near” (Offerings Drew People Near to God) • Offerings Must Come From Herd or Flock • Couldn’t Be Roadkill That You Happened Upon • Must Be Intentional • We Must Not Offer God our “Leftovers” (Study, Prayer, Singing, etc…)

Mandatory Offerings “I’m Sorry” Voluntary Offerings “Thank You” Offering Materials of Offering Purpose Burnt 1: 3 -17 6: 8 -13 • • • Bull Ram/Goats Birds • Grain 2: 1 -16 6: 14 -23 • • Fine Flour Olive Oil Frankincense Salt • Peace 3: 1 -17 7: 11 -36 • • Cattle Sheep/Goats Sin 4: 1 -5: 13 6: 24 -30 • • Guilt 5: 14 -6: 7 7: 1 -6 • • • Priestly Portions General Atonement Prayers, Petitions, Praise • • Thanksgiving for Firstfruits Mirrors Offering It Accompanies Yes No • Fellowship With God & One Another Yes 7: 31 -35 Cattle Sheep/Goats Birds Flour • • Unintentional Sin Offering to Become “Clean” Usually No Cattle Sheep/Goats Birds • Atonement for Specific Types of Sin Yes No • • Nothing Eaten Kept the Hide (7: 8) Offeror Portions No

Burnt Offering (1: 3 -17) • Bull (vs. 3 -9) • “Without Blemish” • God Wanted Animals With Greatest Economic Value • Malachi Denounces them for Bringing Lame & Blind Sacrifices (Malachi 1: 8) • Why It Was Offered • To be Accepted / Make Atonement (vs. 3 -4) • Pleasing Aroma to God (vs. 9; cf. Ephesians 5: 2) • Procedure • Offeror (“He Shall…”) • • Bring Bull to Tabernacle & Lay Hand on Head (vs. 4; Owning Effect of Sin) Kill the Bull – Slitting the Throat (vs. 5) Skin & Cut it Into Pieces (vs. 6) Wash Entrails & Legs With Water (vs. 9; Washing Filth From Sacrifice) • • Throws Blood on Altar (vs. 5) Put Wood & Fire on Altar (vs. 7) Arrange Sacrifice (vs. 7) Burn the Offering – Except the Hide (vs. 9; 7: 8) • Priests (“The Sons of Aaron Shall…”)

Burnt Offering (1: 3 -17) • Sheep/Goats (vs. 10 -13) • Daily Offerings Were Lambs (Ex. 29: 38 -46; Num. 28: 1 -4) • Killed on North Side of Altar (vs. 11) • Ashes Already on East Side of Altar (vs. 16) • Laver Already on West Side (Ex. 30: 17 -21) • Birds (vs. 14 -17) • What the Poor Could Bring (cf. 12: 8; Luke 2: 22 -24) • Jesus’ Family Was Evidently Poor (Luke 2: 22 -24) • God Welcomes All Economic Statuses • Procedure Has Slight Changes (Likely Due to Size of Animal) • Priest Kills the Bird (vs. 15 a) • Priest Drains Blood Directly From Bird on Side of Altar (vs. 15 b) • Reflections on Burnt Offering • God Did Not Want Worshippers to Be Passive Observers • We Are to Give All For God (Rom. 12: 1 -2) • Jesus Was Without Blemish & Gave of Himself Completely (Heb. 7: 26)

Grain Offering (2: 1 -16) • Types of Grain Offerings (vs. 1 -10) • Often Accompanied Burnt Offerings (Lev. 14: 20, 31) • Mirrored/Reflected Same Purpose as the Burnt Offering • Uncooked (vs. 1 -3) • Ingredients: Fine Flour, Oil, & Frankincense (vs. 1) • Instructions • • Bring Offering to the Priests All Frankincense Offered to God (Not Baked Into Bread) “Memorial” Portion Goes to God & is Burned (vs. 2, 9, 16) The Rest Goes to Priests (Eaten at Tabernacle; cf. Num. 18: 9 -10) • Cooked (vs. 4 -10) • Three Ways to Prepare • Baked in Oven (vs. 4) • Cooked on Griddle (vs. 5 -6) • Fried in a Pan (vs. 7) • Instructions Similar to Uncooked Style • Firstfruits: Roasted (vs. 14 -16) • Dedicating Harvest to God; Anticipation of More in Harvest • Part Goes to Priests (Numbers 18: 12 -13)

Grain Offering (2: 1 -16) • Supplementary Instructions (vs. 11 -13) • Without Honey & Leaven (vs. 11 -12) • Leaven is a Symbol of Sin (cf. Luke 12: 1; 1 Corinthians 5: 8) • Honey Possibly Used in Pagan Rituals? • Many Instructions in Leviticus Are Opposed to Pagan Culture • With Salt (vs. 13) • Symbol of Preservation (Num. 18: 19; 2 Chron. 13: 5) • God Will Not Forsake Us • We Are the Sacrificial “Salt of the Earth” (Matthew 5: 13) • Reflections on Grain Offerings • We Give Back From the Work of Our Hands • God is Worthy of Detailed Attention • Jesus Pictured as Grain That Must Die (John 12: 24)

Peace Offering (3: 1 -17) • Instructions (vs. 1 -16) • Purposes • Celebration of Peace With God • Fellowship/Covenant Meal (cf. 7: 33 -35) • Acceptable Sacrifices • Herd; Bull or Cow (vs. 1 -5) • Flock; Sheep or Goats (vs. 6 -16) • Procedure • Presentation & Laying Hands on Head • Slaughter & Blood Thrown on Sides of Altar • Fat, Kidneys, Lobe of Liver Burned ”On Top of” Burnt Offering (vs. 5) • Peace Made Possible by Atonement • Some Breeds of Lamb Had More Fat (vs. 9) • Differences From Burnt Offering • Offerors & Priests Ate of It (cf. Numbers 18: 11) • No Birds Allowed (Too Small to Create a Meal? ) • Can Be Male or Female

Peace Offering (3: 1 -17) • Prohibitions (vs. 17) • No Eating Blood • Life of Animal is in the Blood (Lev. 17: 11) • Also Taught in New Testament (Acts 15: 18 -29) • No Eating Fat (Don’t Give God the Lean & Eat the Fat) • “In All Your Dwellings…” • No Matter Where They Lived, These Were the Prohibitions • Moving Did Not Change These Laws (cf. Daniel? ) • Reflections on Peace Offering • Death of Animal Brings Peace (cf. Romans 5: 1) • Our Worship Can Benefit Others (Sharing With Priests)