Now the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.' (vv.1-3)
The story of Leviticus picks up where Exodus left off. The people of Israel (the covenant descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), were still camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. They remained there throughout the time period covered by the book of Leviticus. Here in our text God now called Moses and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting. This indicates that the tabernacle was now completed and that the sacrificial system could now be put into operation in a designated place. Before the tabernacle of meeting was built, there was no one place of sacrifice, and the procedures for sacrifice couldn’t really be settled and regulated. But now with the completion of the tabernacle, Israel could bring their sacrifice to one place and follow the same procedures for each sacrifice.
In the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, there were three major parts. The covenant included the law Israel had to obey, sacrifice to provide for breaking the law, and the choice of blessing or curse that would become Israel’s destiny throughout history. The sacrificial system was an essential element of the Mosaic covenant because it was impossible to live up to the requirements of the law. No one could perfectly obey the law, and sin had to be dealt with through sacrifice. Each commanded sacrifice was significant, and they all pointed toward the perfect sacrifice Jesus would offer by His crucifixion (Hebrews 7:27, 9:11-28).
Leviticus begins with the laws concerning sacrifices. There are five classes of sacrifice in the first seven chapters: the burnt offering, followed by the grain, peace, sin, and trespass offerings, each a descriptive parable of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for our sins. The most ancient being the burnt-offerings.
What spoke to me was; not the sacrifice itself, nor the condition of the sacrifice, nor where it was to occur (although all of those requirements were to be followed to the letter). It was the attitude of the heart from which the owner must give-up his offering. Not forced or compelled, not reluctant, but out of pure freewill. A foreshadowing of how God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, who in-turn laid down His life freely, becoming an offering and a sacrifice for us, obedient unto death of His own free will. Thus becoming the one perfect sacrifice for all, replacing the need for a sacrificial system.
Thank you LORD.
The Truth: “And walk in love, as 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)
