The Grammar of Approach: The Burnt Offering Text: Leviticus 1:1-9
Introduction: The God Who Is There, And How to Get to Him
We come now to the book of Leviticus, which for many modern Christians is something like a dark and dusty attic in the mansion of Scripture. They know it's part of the house, but they have no idea what's in it, and they are vaguely afraid to go up there. It smells of blood and strange fire, and the rules seem arbitrary and bizarre. And so we neglect it, to our great spiritual impoverishment. We treat it like an embarrassing relative at the family reunion of the canon.
But we must understand the context. The book of Exodus ends in a glorious and terrifying climax. The Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, is completed and assembled. And then the glory of Yahweh descends and fills it so intensely that Moses himself, the man who spoke with God face to face, cannot enter. God has come to live in the midst of His people, but a problem is immediately established. He is a holy, consuming fire, and we are sinful, combustible material. The question that Exodus ends with is this: "God is here, now how do we get to Him without being destroyed?"
Leviticus is the answer. This book is the divinely inspired instruction manual for how a sinful people can live in the presence of a holy God. It is not a collection of primitive, outdated rituals. It is the gospel in picture-book form. It is the architecture of atonement. It teaches us the grammar of worship, a grammar that finds its ultimate fulfillment and meaning in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't understand Leviticus, you will have a shallow understanding of the cross. Here, God teaches His people the meaning of words like substitution, atonement, holiness, and acceptance, not with a dictionary, but with blood and fire and smoke.
In this first chapter, we are introduced to the foundational sacrifice, the burnt offering. This offering, the `olah`, is about total consecration, and it establishes the fundamental protocol for approaching God. It shows us what is required to be accepted in His sight.
The Text
Then Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man from among you brings an offering near to Yahweh, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall bring it near, a male without blemish; he shall bring it near to the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. Then he shall slaughter the young bull before Yahweh; and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring near the blood and splash the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And he shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.'"
(Leviticus 1:1-9 LSB)
The Divine Summons (v. 1-2)
We begin with the source and nature of this instruction.
"Then Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When any man from among you brings an offering near to Yahweh, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.'" (Leviticus 1:1-2)
First, notice the initiative. "Yahweh called to Moses." Worship is not man's bright idea. It is not something we invent to satisfy a religious impulse. True worship is a response to a divine summons. God always makes the first move. He calls, He invites, He commands. The entire system of worship that is about to be laid out is not the result of human ingenuity but of divine revelation.
And where does He speak from? "From the tent of meeting." This is a significant shift. In Exodus, God spoke from the terrifying heights of Mount Sinai, with thunder and lightning. Now, He speaks from the very center of their camp. He has moved into the neighborhood. This is intimate, covenantal communication. The God who is a consuming fire is also the God who draws near and gives His people the instructions for how they can draw near to Him.
The offering is to be brought "from the herd or the flock." This is not a throwaway detail. The offering must be a part of the worshiper's own substance. It must come from his livelihood, his wealth. It represents him. This is costly worship. It requires the sacrifice of something valuable, a domesticated animal that is part of the man's own estate. You cannot worship God with something that costs you nothing.
The Perfect Substitute (v. 3-4)
Next, we are given the specific requirements for the animal and the central act of identification.
"If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall bring it near, a male without blemish; he shall bring it near to the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf." (Leviticus 1:3-4 LSB)
The offering must be a "male without blemish." God does not accept our damaged goods. He requires perfection. A blemished animal would be an insult, suggesting that God is worthy only of our leftovers. This requirement, right at the outset, establishes a standard that no sinner can meet in himself. We are all blemished. Therefore, if we are to be accepted, we need a perfect substitute. This points relentlessly forward to the Lord Jesus, the Lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19).
The purpose of this perfect offering is explicit: "that he may be accepted before Yahweh." This is the fundamental problem of fallen man. We are, in our natural state, unacceptable to God. Our sin makes us offensive to His holiness. The entire sacrificial system is God's gracious provision to solve the problem of our unacceptability.
Verse 4 describes the crucial act of transfer. "He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering." This is not a gentle pat. The Hebrew implies a forceful leaning. This is the moment of identification. The worshiper is symbolically saying, "This animal is now taking my place. It stands for me." In this action, two things are happening. The sin and guilt of the man are being imputed to the animal. And the perfection and acceptability of the animal are being imputed to the man. This is the great exchange. This is the gospel. This is what Paul means when he says God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The purpose of this identification is "to make atonement on his behalf." The Hebrew word kippur, atonement, means to cover. The blood of the substitute covers the sin of the worshiper, shielding him from the wrath of a holy God.
The Cost of Atonement (v. 5-6)
The consequences of this substitution are bloody and stark.
"Then he shall slaughter the young bull before Yahweh; and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring near the blood and splash the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And he shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces." (Leviticus 1:5-6 LSB)
Notice who does the killing. "He shall slaughter the young bull." The worshiper himself slits the throat of his substitute. This was not a clean, sanitized affair delegated to a professional. The man had to feel the warm blood on his hands. He had to see the life drain out of the creature that was dying in his place. This was a visceral lesson in the cost of sin. The wages of sin is death, and this system made that truth inescapably real. Sin is not a small matter; it is violent and it is fatal.
Once the death has occurred, the priests, the appointed mediators, take over. Their primary job is to handle the blood. The blood represents the life that has been forfeited (Leviticus 17:11). They splash this blood against the sides of the altar. The altar is the place where God and man meet. By applying the blood to the altar, the priest is presenting the evidence of a life given, a penalty paid, directly into the presence of God. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness because there is no payment for sin.
Total Consecration (v. 7-9)
The final verses describe the complete offering of the substitute to God.
"And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh." (Leviticus 1:7-9 LSB)
After the animal is skinned and cut into pieces, it is meticulously arranged on the altar. This is not a chaotic bonfire. It is an orderly presentation. The head (representing the mind, the thoughts), the suet (the fat, representing the best and richest part), and all the pieces are laid out. This signifies the total devotion of the substitute. Everything is given to God.
Even the entrails and the legs, the inward parts and the parts that walk in the dirt, must be washed with water. This points to the need for both internal purity and external holiness. The substitute must be clean through and through. This is a standard that only Christ could meet, who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.
Finally, the priest offers "all of it" up in smoke. This is the `olah`, the ascending offering. The entire animal goes up to God. Nothing is held back. This represents the complete surrender of the worshiper to God, made possible through his substitute. The result of this perfect, substitutionary, and total sacrifice is that it is "an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh." This does not mean God enjoys the smell of burning meat. It is anthropomorphic language to convey that the offering is acceptable and pleasing to Him. It satisfies His holy justice. The debt has been paid in full, the sin has been covered, and the relationship between God and the worshiper has been restored. This is the doctrine of propitiation. The fire of God's judgment falls on the substitute, and the result is peace.
Christ, Our Burnt Offering
This entire chapter is a magnificent portrait of the work of Jesus Christ. He is the one God sent, speaking from the true heavenly tabernacle. He is the perfect, unblemished male, the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. We come to God by faith, laying the hand of our faith on Him, transferring all our sin and guilt and filth to Him.
He was slaughtered outside the gates of Jerusalem, bearing our sin. His blood was shed, the ultimate price for our rebellion, and it is that blood that gives us access to the very throne room of God. His entire life was an act of total consecration to the Father. His mind, His strength, His affections, His will, all of it was perfectly offered up. He was clean inside and out.
And on the cross, He was offered up completely, enduring the fire of God's wrath against our sin. And because His sacrifice was perfect, it was a "soothing aroma" to the Father. As Paul says, "Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma" (Ephesians 5:2).
The goal of the burnt offering was acceptance. And because of Christ, our true burnt offering, we are now "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Do not try to approach God on your own merits. Your works are blemished. Your righteousness is a filthy rag. Come to God through the provision He has made. Come through the smoke of the one true altar. Lay your hand on Christ, your perfect substitute, and know that in Him, and in Him alone, you are completely and eternally accepted before Yahweh.