MY SHORT REPORT EXODUS 33 - LEVITICUS 13
The link that brought you to this page and the page title are a bit of a misnomer, because this short report is not long enough to cover so many chapters of the Bible. What the link and the title do, however, is track where we are in our plan to read through the entire Bible in 1 year. May each report pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us. Works cited are at the end of the report.
BIBLE READING—5TH WEEK—EX 33 – LEV 13: Last week we read through most of Exodus and placed our main focus on Christ throughout the book. This week we finished Exodus and read a good portion of Leviticus. The early chapters covered five Old Testament sacrifices, and we saw Aaron and his sons be appointed as God’s priests, we also read this week’s key verse, Leviticus 11:45, which we will return to after a quick review of the sacrifices. The Day of Atonement, however, is covered in chapter 16 (next week).
The five major offerings: Burnt Offering, Grain Offering, Peace Offering (ESV; or Fellowship Offering (NKJV)), Sin Offering, and Guilt Offering. They include supplemental offerings: Drink Offering, Wave Offering, Firstfruit, and Heave Offering. All sacrifices were performed at the entrance to the Tent of the Meeting (Tabernacle).
Why all the sacrifices? Halley’s Bible Handbook says, “This sacrificial system, of Divine Origin, was placed of God at the very center and heart of Jewish National life…to burn into the consciousness of men a sense of their deep Sinfulness and to be an agelong picture of the Coming Sacrifice of Christ, toward whom they pointed and by whom they were fulfilled” (p. 135).
Of the five, the first three sacrifices are listed in the first three chapters of Leviticus with additional information made available in later chapters, as well as the books that proceed and follow Leviticus. Thus, Leviticus gives us a good picture of the sacrificial system but not a complete picture. The Concordia Reference Bible says these three sacrifices are voluntary acts of worship (p. 118). As the name implies, the Grain Offering did not use an animal from the herd or the flock (a bull, sheep or goat). Nor did the Grain Offering involve birds, only the Burnt Offering (voluntary) and Sin Offering (mandatory, p. 118) did.
In Leviticus 1 the Burnt Offering used an animal from the herd or from the flock without blemish, or a turtle dove or pigeon. The participant (head of the family) placed his hand on the animal to acknowledge sin and make atonement, than the animal was slaughtered and its blood poured on the side of the altar. If a bird was used the blood was drained on the side of the altar. With two exceptions, in the Burnt Offering the whole animal/bird was consumed in the fire—a pleasing aroma to the Lord—first, the animals hide was given to the priest performing the ceremony (Lev 7:8), second, a part of the bird was discarded into the ash heap (Lev 1:16). Although the Drink Offering is not mention here, a regular, daily Burnt Offering is introduced in Exodus. In Exodus 29:40 the Drink Offering, a hin (about a quart) of wine, is referenced has a part of the Burnt Offering.
According to Leviticus 2, the Grain Offering was prepared beforehand and could be of fine flour mixed with oil and frankincense or fine flour mixed with oil and baked in the oven, or fine flour mixed with oil and cooked in a pan. However the offering was brought to the Levites, a memorial portion was burnt on the altar, which made a pleasing aroma to the Lord and the rest of the offering was given to Aaron and his sons. When the first choice was selected, all of the frankincense went on the altar. The Grain Offering of firstfruits followed the pattern of the first selection and also included frankincense, but “fresh ears, roasted with fire [and] crushed new grain” (v. 14) was used in place of the fine flour. Two final points: salt was required on all Grain Offerings, and called the ”salt of the covenant” (v. 13). On the other hand leaven and honey were forbidden (v. 11) as both could ferment the loaf.
The Fellowship Offering, in Leviticus 3, used a male or female animal from the herd or from the flock without blemish, and bread. Like all animal sacrifices, the participant placed his hand on the head of the animal to acknowledge sin and make atonement, than the priest slaughtered the animal and poured its blood on the side of the altar. The fat, internal organs and entrails were burned on the altar. We gain further knowledge about this sacrifice from Leviticus 7 starting with the 11th verse where different types of Fellowship Offerings are defined as thanksgiving, vow or freewill offering. Each included “unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil” (v. 12), as well as “loaves of leavened bread” (v. 13). One loaf of each is given to the Lord (the priest’s portion). The remaining meat, not burnt on the altar, was divided to allow for the priest’s portion (the right breast and right thigh) and the rest went to the worshiper. The priest’s portion of bread and the breast was held up to the Lord as a wave offering, while the right thigh was contributed (ESV), or held up to the Lord as a Heave Offering (NKJV, v. 32)
Well, that is only 3 of 5. I was starting my 4th paragraph on the Sin Offering when I called a halt. In the spirit of keeping my Short Report short I’m going to which gears to the key verse for this week, and bring this week to a close.
Halley’s Bible Handbook started us off on the correct foot; God instituted the sacrificial system in Leviticus to drive home a very important point: man is sinful and must be redeemed. That redemption, of course, came through Christ Jesus. Obviously the Hebrews of Moses’ day were unaware of future events, but they had the sacrifices and God’s Word to keep them on track, a track to holy living as God told them in Leviticus 11:44 and again in 11:45, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
In Leviticus – People’s Bible Commentary, Lenz looks at the sacrificial system of Israel as a part of the “outward symbols of holiness” and says, “Twice in this section, the Lord says He is holy—holy in an absolute sense, separate and distinct from man, who by nature is unholy. Because God is holy, it is impossible for Him to tolerate man’s sin. But God in His love conceived a plan in eternity to let man become holy again and live in His presence” (p. 100).
The five major offerings: Burnt Offering, Grain Offering, Peace Offering (ESV; or Fellowship Offering (NKJV)), Sin Offering, and Guilt Offering. They include supplemental offerings: Drink Offering, Wave Offering, Firstfruit, and Heave Offering. All sacrifices were performed at the entrance to the Tent of the Meeting (Tabernacle).
Why all the sacrifices? Halley’s Bible Handbook says, “This sacrificial system, of Divine Origin, was placed of God at the very center and heart of Jewish National life…to burn into the consciousness of men a sense of their deep Sinfulness and to be an agelong picture of the Coming Sacrifice of Christ, toward whom they pointed and by whom they were fulfilled” (p. 135).
Of the five, the first three sacrifices are listed in the first three chapters of Leviticus with additional information made available in later chapters, as well as the books that proceed and follow Leviticus. Thus, Leviticus gives us a good picture of the sacrificial system but not a complete picture. The Concordia Reference Bible says these three sacrifices are voluntary acts of worship (p. 118). As the name implies, the Grain Offering did not use an animal from the herd or the flock (a bull, sheep or goat). Nor did the Grain Offering involve birds, only the Burnt Offering (voluntary) and Sin Offering (mandatory, p. 118) did.
In Leviticus 1 the Burnt Offering used an animal from the herd or from the flock without blemish, or a turtle dove or pigeon. The participant (head of the family) placed his hand on the animal to acknowledge sin and make atonement, than the animal was slaughtered and its blood poured on the side of the altar. If a bird was used the blood was drained on the side of the altar. With two exceptions, in the Burnt Offering the whole animal/bird was consumed in the fire—a pleasing aroma to the Lord—first, the animals hide was given to the priest performing the ceremony (Lev 7:8), second, a part of the bird was discarded into the ash heap (Lev 1:16). Although the Drink Offering is not mention here, a regular, daily Burnt Offering is introduced in Exodus. In Exodus 29:40 the Drink Offering, a hin (about a quart) of wine, is referenced has a part of the Burnt Offering.
According to Leviticus 2, the Grain Offering was prepared beforehand and could be of fine flour mixed with oil and frankincense or fine flour mixed with oil and baked in the oven, or fine flour mixed with oil and cooked in a pan. However the offering was brought to the Levites, a memorial portion was burnt on the altar, which made a pleasing aroma to the Lord and the rest of the offering was given to Aaron and his sons. When the first choice was selected, all of the frankincense went on the altar. The Grain Offering of firstfruits followed the pattern of the first selection and also included frankincense, but “fresh ears, roasted with fire [and] crushed new grain” (v. 14) was used in place of the fine flour. Two final points: salt was required on all Grain Offerings, and called the ”salt of the covenant” (v. 13). On the other hand leaven and honey were forbidden (v. 11) as both could ferment the loaf.
The Fellowship Offering, in Leviticus 3, used a male or female animal from the herd or from the flock without blemish, and bread. Like all animal sacrifices, the participant placed his hand on the head of the animal to acknowledge sin and make atonement, than the priest slaughtered the animal and poured its blood on the side of the altar. The fat, internal organs and entrails were burned on the altar. We gain further knowledge about this sacrifice from Leviticus 7 starting with the 11th verse where different types of Fellowship Offerings are defined as thanksgiving, vow or freewill offering. Each included “unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil” (v. 12), as well as “loaves of leavened bread” (v. 13). One loaf of each is given to the Lord (the priest’s portion). The remaining meat, not burnt on the altar, was divided to allow for the priest’s portion (the right breast and right thigh) and the rest went to the worshiper. The priest’s portion of bread and the breast was held up to the Lord as a wave offering, while the right thigh was contributed (ESV), or held up to the Lord as a Heave Offering (NKJV, v. 32)
Well, that is only 3 of 5. I was starting my 4th paragraph on the Sin Offering when I called a halt. In the spirit of keeping my Short Report short I’m going to which gears to the key verse for this week, and bring this week to a close.
Halley’s Bible Handbook started us off on the correct foot; God instituted the sacrificial system in Leviticus to drive home a very important point: man is sinful and must be redeemed. That redemption, of course, came through Christ Jesus. Obviously the Hebrews of Moses’ day were unaware of future events, but they had the sacrifices and God’s Word to keep them on track, a track to holy living as God told them in Leviticus 11:44 and again in 11:45, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
In Leviticus – People’s Bible Commentary, Lenz looks at the sacrificial system of Israel as a part of the “outward symbols of holiness” and says, “Twice in this section, the Lord says He is holy—holy in an absolute sense, separate and distinct from man, who by nature is unholy. Because God is holy, it is impossible for Him to tolerate man’s sin. But God in His love conceived a plan in eternity to let man become holy again and live in His presence” (p. 100).