Drawing near

And so we start Leviticus.  I can’t say I’ve looked forward to this book.

As in parts of Exodus, it goes over the laws, rules, and regulations, in exquisite detail, which can be a bit dry to read at times.  But here we go, and today we start with the offerings.

The word “offerings,” I’ve found, is very interesting.  It comes from a Hebrew word that means “to bring near.”

These offerings were used by the Israelites in order to draw near to God.  We’ll take a look at the first three today.

The first was a burnt offering.

We’ve seen this before in Exodus, when a priest was consecrated.  As with that offering, the animal had to be without blemish and it was to be completely burned up.

The ideas here were two-fold.

One, it was used as atonement for a person’s sin, and in that way, the sacrifice was a picture of Christ, who was the perfect lamb of God.

The second is the idea of complete surrender to God.  That we hold nothing back to him, but give everything to him.

The second offering was a grain offering.

This was basically an offering of thanksgiving, and it was offered with incense to be a sweet-smelling aroma to God.

The third offering was a “fellowship” or “peace” offering.

Again, as with the burnt offering, there was the symbolism of substitution, that the animal was taking on the guilt of the person it was dying for.

But unlike the burnt offering, the offerer would take part of the sacrifice home, and eat it with his family.

The picture here is that with our sins taken care of, we can have peace and fellowship with God.  Perhaps it points to the day when we will enjoy the great feast that is in heaven with God.

All three of these offerings were voluntary.  They were given out of the love people had in their hearts for God.

And they are all pictures of our relationship with God.  That first, through Christ, we can have peace with God (the peace offering).

In Romans 5:1, it says

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, it shows our complete surrender to him (the burnt offering).  That our whole lives are his.

In Romans 12:1, it says,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

And third, it shows our thankfulness to him for all he’s done, because he has provided not only for our spiritual needs, but for our physical ones as well.

In Romans 8:32, it says,

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Lord, I thank you that we can have peace with you through what Jesus did on the cross.  I thank you that because of what he did, we can draw near to you and have fellowship with you.

Lord, help me surrender all that I am to you, just as those burnt sacrifices were completely given to you.  And Lord, let me always have a heart filled with thanksgiving and praise towards you.

I love you and thank you for all that you’ve done.  In Jesus name, amen.