12/16/20
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
Although we will never know for a certainty, I suspect that one of the least-read books in the Old Testament is the book of Leviticus. Perhaps the key thought in Leviticus is the holiness of God, which is symbolized by physical perfection. Leviticus demands perfect animals for its many sacrifices and requires priests without any deformity. We Christians are likewise to be holy.
A burnt offering was offered every morning and evening for all Israel (Exodus 29:39-42). Double burnt offerings were brought on the sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10), and extra ones on feast days (Numbers 28-29). In addition, anyone could offer special burnt offerings to express devotion to the Lord. The burnt offering had to be a male animal because of its greater value.
The offerer was to lay his hand on the head of the animal to express identification between himself and the animal (Leviticus 16:21).
Note that the burnt offering was totally consumed by fire. Therefore, the burnt offering was also known as the "whole burnt offering," because it was totally consumed on the altar, except for the hide (Luke 7:8).
The burnt offering was usually a young sheep or goat for the average individual, but a bull for the wealthy, and doves and pigeons for the poor.
Note that burnt offering was to be killed on the north side of the altar. The Lord is always very specific. In addition, everything in the Bible has some significance.
Even Lucifer knew the significance of the side of the north. When Lucifer fell and became Satan, the Lord said to him,
Note that regardless of the animal or bird used in the burnt offering, the offering made by fire was a sweet savor unto the Lord.
We know that the great flood in the days of Noah killed every living person and animal except those who were inside the ark. We also know from 1 Peter 3:20 that only eight souls were saved. The first thing that Noah did after coming out of the ark on dry ground is recorded in Genesis 8:20-21,
Although that account of Abraham and Isaac contains several valuable teaching lessons for every Christian, there is another example in Genesis 22 that may well be even more important for us today.
"Behold the fire and the wood." Wood in the Bible speaks of humanity. It takes the fire from off the altar to consume the wood ... human nature. Let us consider the first fire on that Altar. Also let us remember that John the Baptist said, in
So God started that fire, but there were certain rules that Moses and Aaron had to observe in the care of that fire.
Two of the sons of Aaron found out the hard way that it was unacceptable to use man-made fire in tabernacle worship. They broke the rules of worship by taking ordinary (strange) fire to burn incense before the Lord instead of getting their (eternal) fire from the altar. The cost of that mistake was sudden death by the same consuming fire that had been put on the altar. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
When the fire of God consumed the offering, it was a sign that God had fully accepted that offering. Is there any strange fire in the church today?
Now let us return to Genesis 22:7, when Isaac asked his father Abraham, "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" That is a question that we all, at one time or another, must ask. Where is the Lamb of our life? The purpose of human life is not for us to be blessed abundantly with prosperity here on earth, followed by an eternity of happiness in heaven. The purpose of human life is meant to give pleasure to God.
A lamb, of course, is the meekest of all creatures. We know from Numbers 12:3 that Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. However, Jesus, as a Man on earth, was the epitomy of meekness. We Christians must be willing to be a lamb. That is a decision, a choice, that we must make every day. We can either be a sweet savor to God or a stench in His nostrils. God will have that sweet savor from man.
In response to Isaac's question, "Where is the lamb"? Abraham responded, "God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." We all know that was fulfilled both literally and spiritually. The Lord provided Abraham with a ram, caught in a thicket, to use as the burnt offering. A ram is a male sheep, capable of bearing offspring; a lamb is a young sheep. There is a possible analogy here with the ram and the lamb on one hand, and the Father and the Son, the Lamb of God on the other hand.
Every professing Christian knows that Jesus came to earth as a man, suffered more than any man ever suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, rose again from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus voluntarily and willingly became the ultimate burnt offering. His whole earthly life was focused on, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God."
1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [or behavior]; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
The priests were to teach the people the difference "between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean" (Leviticus 10:10).
Leviticus is often neglected because we Christians have misunderstood its message and purpose. But that book has available a wealth of prophetic insight which can be of immense value to all Christians. One specific example that will benefit us greatly is recorded in the first seven chapters of Leviticus, which gives the Lord's detailed instructions concerning the five major Old Testament offerings - the burnt offering, the meat (or grain or meal) offering, the peace oftering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering - and in that order in Leviticus, Chapters 1 through 5. Those various offerings have different functions, the primary ones being atonement and worship. Each particular sacrifice or offering was to have meaning for the people of Israel but also has spiritual and symbolic importance for us. The burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering were all voluntary. That is significant, as we will see later. The sin offering and the trespass offering were mandatory, if the occasion warranted it. An offering (or sacrifice) is something of personal value that someone brings to God. The Hebrew word for offering is korban, which means "to draw near," and indicates the primary purpose of offerings: to draw us near to God. There are three basic concepts underlying korban. The first is the aspect of giving. A korban requires the renunciation of something that belongs to the person making the offering. Thus, sacrifices are made from domestic animals, not wild animals, because wild animals do not belong to anyone. Likewise, offerings of food were ordinarily in the form of flour or meal, which requires substantial work to prepare. Another important concept is that of substitution. The idea is that the thing being offered is a substitute for the person making the offering, and the things that are done to the offering are things that should have been done to the person who makes the offering. The offering in a sense replaces the offerer. The third important concept is the idea of coming closer. The essence of sacrifice is to bring a person closer to God. It is also very important to realize that Jesus, as a Man, fulfilled or is the fulfillment of all five of those offerings.
As we look at the five offerings, keep in mind how they apply to us today. In this message we will look at only the burnt offering and its prophetic significance for us today.
The book of Leviticus gives God's prescription for worship. The book is so named because it concerns mainly the service of worship at the tabernacle, which was conducted by the Levitical priests, with Aaron as the first high priest. Today, the service of worship does not take place in a brick building at 123 Main Street. It takes place in the hearts of those chosen vessels conducted by the Melchisedec priesthood, with the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest.
There are two prerequisites on God's part for worship. The first prerequisite comes from Leviticus 1:1. The first word in the Hebrew text of Leviticus means, "And the Lord called." The second prerequisite is found in
Leviticus is often neglected because we Christians have misunderstood its message and purpose. But that book has available a wealth of prophetic insight which can be of immense value to all Christians. One specific example that will benefit us greatly is recorded in the first seven chapters of Leviticus, which gives the Lord's detailed instructions concerning the five major Old Testament offerings - the burnt offering, the meat (or grain or meal) offering, the peace oftering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering - and in that order in Leviticus, Chapters 1 through 5. Those various offerings have different functions, the primary ones being atonement and worship. Each particular sacrifice or offering was to have meaning for the people of Israel but also has spiritual and symbolic importance for us. The burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering were all voluntary. That is significant, as we will see later. The sin offering and the trespass offering were mandatory, if the occasion warranted it. An offering (or sacrifice) is something of personal value that someone brings to God. The Hebrew word for offering is korban, which means "to draw near," and indicates the primary purpose of offerings: to draw us near to God. There are three basic concepts underlying korban. The first is the aspect of giving. A korban requires the renunciation of something that belongs to the person making the offering. Thus, sacrifices are made from domestic animals, not wild animals, because wild animals do not belong to anyone. Likewise, offerings of food were ordinarily in the form of flour or meal, which requires substantial work to prepare. Another important concept is that of substitution. The idea is that the thing being offered is a substitute for the person making the offering, and the things that are done to the offering are things that should have been done to the person who makes the offering. The offering in a sense replaces the offerer. The third important concept is the idea of coming closer. The essence of sacrifice is to bring a person closer to God. It is also very important to realize that Jesus, as a Man, fulfilled or is the fulfillment of all five of those offerings.
As we look at the five offerings, keep in mind how they apply to us today. In this message we will look at only the burnt offering and its prophetic significance for us today.
The book of Leviticus gives God's prescription for worship. The book is so named because it concerns mainly the service of worship at the tabernacle, which was conducted by the Levitical priests, with Aaron as the first high priest. Today, the service of worship does not take place in a brick building at 123 Main Street. It takes place in the hearts of those chosen vessels conducted by the Melchisedec priesthood, with the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest.
There are two prerequisites on God's part for worship. The first prerequisite comes from Leviticus 1:1. The first word in the Hebrew text of Leviticus means, "And the Lord called." The second prerequisite is found in
Psalm 65:4, "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple."
In other words, we must be called, chosen, and caused by God to worship Him. Only those who are called of God and chosen can worship Him. All others can only offer strange fire. More accurately, only Christ, the Head, and the Christ within believers can worship the Father. We also should note that all of the offerings were what God had first given to man. That says that only the Christ within man can worship the Father.
Note from Psalm 65:4 that the ONLY thing that will satisfy us is to dwell in His courts and experience the goodness of His holy house or temple. David said, in
Note from Psalm 65:4 that the ONLY thing that will satisfy us is to dwell in His courts and experience the goodness of His holy house or temple. David said, in
Psalm 17:15, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."Romans 8:22-23, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
The Tabernacle ceremonies are the pattern, in symbolic form, of worshipping in Spirit and in Truth. If we can avoid getting tangled in the symbols, we can get a reasonable idea of what they point toward. At first thought, we might expect the sin offering to be described first, thus signifying repentance and being born from above. That is not the case because all of the offerings apply to those who are already a chosen vessel of God. We should always remember that the Bible was written for those who were already born from above. Let us turn to Leviticus 1:1 and look at the burnt offering.
Leviticus, Chapter 1.1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
A burnt offering was offered every morning and evening for all Israel (Exodus 29:39-42). Double burnt offerings were brought on the sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10), and extra ones on feast days (Numbers 28-29). In addition, anyone could offer special burnt offerings to express devotion to the Lord. The burnt offering had to be a male animal because of its greater value.
4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
The offerer was to lay his hand on the head of the animal to express identification between himself and the animal (Leviticus 16:21).
5 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Note that the burnt offering was totally consumed by fire. Therefore, the burnt offering was also known as the "whole burnt offering," because it was totally consumed on the altar, except for the hide (Luke 7:8).
10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
The burnt offering was usually a young sheep or goat for the average individual, but a bull for the wealthy, and doves and pigeons for the poor.
11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
Note that burnt offering was to be killed on the north side of the altar. The Lord is always very specific. In addition, everything in the Bible has some significance.
Psalm 48:2, "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King."
Even Lucifer knew the significance of the side of the north. When Lucifer fell and became Satan, the Lord said to him,
Isaiah 14:13-15, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
In the Bible, moving from the north toward Zion represents maturing in Christ.
Job 37:22, "Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty."
Another translation of that verse is, "Out of the north He comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty."
Back to Leviticus, Chapter 1.12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.15 And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Note that regardless of the animal or bird used in the burnt offering, the offering made by fire was a sweet savor unto the Lord.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15, "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:"
We know that the great flood in the days of Noah killed every living person and animal except those who were inside the ark. We also know from 1 Peter 3:20 that only eight souls were saved. The first thing that Noah did after coming out of the ark on dry ground is recorded in Genesis 8:20-21,
"And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour ..."
That is the first literal occurrence in the Bible of the word "burnt offering." How did Noah know to build and altar unto the LORD and offer burnt offerings on that altar? Scripture does not specifically answer that question. However, I must believe that Noah was overwhelmed with the grace of God that had saved only him and his family. His heart was probably full and overflowing with thanksgiving and praise to God. Therefore he offered back to God what God had given into his care in the form of clean animals.
However, I am not at all sure that was the first act of a burnt offering being offered by man to God. I tend to believe that the first burnt offering was given by Abel, even though scripture does not specifically use those words.
However, I am not at all sure that was the first act of a burnt offering being offered by man to God. I tend to believe that the first burnt offering was given by Abel, even though scripture does not specifically use those words.
Genesis 4:3-5, "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."
I do not believe that Abel gave a live sheep or lamb to a physical person who was God. I believe Abel brought a burnt offering to the altar of God. Further, Abel brought the very best of his flock as a burnt offering. That was a sacrifice; it cost Abel something of value to himself. When Cain brought his offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground, it cost him nothing. Therefore, it was not even an offering, not a sacrifice. Of course, the ground had already been cursed anyway.
Now let us consider Abraham.
Now let us consider Abraham.
Genesis 22:1-2, "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of?"
"And it came to pass after these things"... after what things? After the birth and weaning of Isaac and after Hagar and Ishmael had been cast out. Only a few seconds after Abraham was about to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, God spoke to Abraham and told him not to slay Isaac. What if Abraham had been hard of hearing? What if Abraham did not discern the voice of the Lord? Would that all of us Christians could hear the voice of the Lord as clearly as Abraham did. And Abraham did not even have a pastor or a bible! Neither did he ever attend a great Christian convention. Abraham simply depended on what the Lord told him. Abraham was prepared to sacrifice that which was the most important.
Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."
Although that account of Abraham and Isaac contains several valuable teaching lessons for every Christian, there is another example in Genesis 22 that may well be even more important for us today.
Genesis 22:7-8, "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: SO they went both of them together."
"Behold the fire and the wood." Wood in the Bible speaks of humanity. It takes the fire from off the altar to consume the wood ... human nature. Let us consider the first fire on that Altar. Also let us remember that John the Baptist said, in
Luke 3:16, "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:"
Consider the brazen altar which was in the outer court of the Tabernacle of Moses. First, note that after Moses had prepared the Tabernacle and everything pertaining to the ceremonies of worship, God started the fire on the Brazen Altar.
The Lord took great pains to fully instruct Moses and the people about how the sacrifices were to be conducted and how the ceremonies of the Tabernacle were to be performed. The fire on the brazen altar was not by any means ordinary fire. It looked just like other fire, and normally acted like other fire, but that is where the similarity ended. Have you ever considered how long it would take to burn the carcase of an animal using ordinary fire?
So, the fire on the Altar was a special fire. The Bible tells us,
The Lord took great pains to fully instruct Moses and the people about how the sacrifices were to be conducted and how the ceremonies of the Tabernacle were to be performed. The fire on the brazen altar was not by any means ordinary fire. It looked just like other fire, and normally acted like other fire, but that is where the similarity ended. Have you ever considered how long it would take to burn the carcase of an animal using ordinary fire?
So, the fire on the Altar was a special fire. The Bible tells us,
"And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Leviticus 9:24).
So God started that fire, but there were certain rules that Moses and Aaron had to observe in the care of that fire.
Leviticus 6:12, "And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings."
The fire which came from God was eternal fire. It came from God's dwelling place ... eternity. Though it was eternal fire, it would go out when it had consumed all of the available fuel. So much prophetic significance here! We are to be that altar with the fire of God burning within us.
That command created a problem of fuel supply. That was the responsibility of man ... to keep the fire burning on the Altar. This speaks volumes. It must have been a full-time task for some folks to continually bring in all the wood to keep the fire burning. Likewise, we must do whatever it takes to keep the fire of God burning in our souls. Three main elements make up the fuel for the fire of God in our souls. They are the rhema word of God, prayer and intercession, and obedience to the Holy Spirit. Leviticus 6:13, 18, 23
Under penalty of death, only the fire from off the altar was to be used in tabernacle worship.
That command created a problem of fuel supply. That was the responsibility of man ... to keep the fire burning on the Altar. This speaks volumes. It must have been a full-time task for some folks to continually bring in all the wood to keep the fire burning. Likewise, we must do whatever it takes to keep the fire of God burning in our souls. Three main elements make up the fuel for the fire of God in our souls. They are the rhema word of God, prayer and intercession, and obedience to the Holy Spirit. Leviticus 6:13, 18, 23
Under penalty of death, only the fire from off the altar was to be used in tabernacle worship.
Leviticus 16:12-13, "And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:"
Two of the sons of Aaron found out the hard way that it was unacceptable to use man-made fire in tabernacle worship. They broke the rules of worship by taking ordinary (strange) fire to burn incense before the Lord instead of getting their (eternal) fire from the altar. The cost of that mistake was sudden death by the same consuming fire that had been put on the altar. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He commanded them not.2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Leviticus 10:1-2
When the fire of God consumed the offering, it was a sign that God had fully accepted that offering. Is there any strange fire in the church today?
Now let us return to Genesis 22:7, when Isaac asked his father Abraham, "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" That is a question that we all, at one time or another, must ask. Where is the Lamb of our life? The purpose of human life is not for us to be blessed abundantly with prosperity here on earth, followed by an eternity of happiness in heaven. The purpose of human life is meant to give pleasure to God.
Revelation 4:11, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
A lamb, of course, is the meekest of all creatures. We know from Numbers 12:3 that Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. However, Jesus, as a Man on earth, was the epitomy of meekness. We Christians must be willing to be a lamb. That is a decision, a choice, that we must make every day. We can either be a sweet savor to God or a stench in His nostrils. God will have that sweet savor from man.
In response to Isaac's question, "Where is the lamb"? Abraham responded, "God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." We all know that was fulfilled both literally and spiritually. The Lord provided Abraham with a ram, caught in a thicket, to use as the burnt offering. A ram is a male sheep, capable of bearing offspring; a lamb is a young sheep. There is a possible analogy here with the ram and the lamb on one hand, and the Father and the Son, the Lamb of God on the other hand.
John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Every professing Christian knows that Jesus came to earth as a man, suffered more than any man ever suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, rose again from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus voluntarily and willingly became the ultimate burnt offering. His whole earthly life was focused on, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God."
2 Corinthians 5:20-21, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
Jesus became or fulfilled that burnt offering. The will of God is that every Christian should become a burnt offering after being born from above. The burnt offering is a voluntary act of worship which speaks of atonement for unintentional sin in general and an expression of devotion, commitment and complete surrender to God.
In Genesis 22:5, "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."
Did Abraham forget to worship? No, but not in the sense that we think of worship today. But Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac ... that which was the most valuable part of His life. That was a real sacrifice, a real offering. This seems to match the definition of worship which was quickened to me many years ago from Genesis 22 when Abraham was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Worship is the voluntary, unquestioning obedience to the rhema word of God through the Holy Spirit. (The rhema is a specific word to a specific person. God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his only son. God did not tell every father to go and sacrifice their only son.) Worship also springs out of a pure heart that fears God.
The burnt offering allowed men to participate in the ceremony of the sacrifice, but not to add anything to the sacrifice. This can easily be understood in the light of the purpose of atonement. For sinful man to attempt to contribute to an atoning sacrifice would only defile that sacrifice. The Israelite of that day could add nothing to that sacrifice which atoned for his sins, just as we can contribute nothing to the work of Christ, which atones for our sins.
To summarize, the burnt offering under the Old Covenant was largely a mechanical routine to most men. It was part of the Mosaic Law. But under the New Covenant the burnt offering is designed to be a spiritual reality. The law is the covenant and expression of His will that was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. How did He fulfill it? Luke 8:21 records that as He was in the synagogue reading from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said, "It is fulfilled." As He was hanging from the cross, He said, "It is finished." Jesus knew the will of the Father and He was able to walk in it primarily because He fully identified with that perfect will. It was not so much that He fulfilled the law, but that the law was fulfilled in Him. The law was specifically designed for the Lord Jesus Christ that it might be fulfilled in Him. What about us? The fulfillment of the law is Christ to everyone that believes in Him. (Romans 10:4).
And so, the real question for each one of us today does not concern Abel or Noah or Abraham. The most important question for us today is: Where is the Lamb for the burnt offering? What place does He occupy in our heart and mind? And then, who is willing, voluntarily, unquestioning, to become a burnt offering as unto the Lord? Who desires to be fully identified with the perfect will of the Father? Amen.
The burnt offering allowed men to participate in the ceremony of the sacrifice, but not to add anything to the sacrifice. This can easily be understood in the light of the purpose of atonement. For sinful man to attempt to contribute to an atoning sacrifice would only defile that sacrifice. The Israelite of that day could add nothing to that sacrifice which atoned for his sins, just as we can contribute nothing to the work of Christ, which atones for our sins.
To summarize, the burnt offering under the Old Covenant was largely a mechanical routine to most men. It was part of the Mosaic Law. But under the New Covenant the burnt offering is designed to be a spiritual reality. The law is the covenant and expression of His will that was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. How did He fulfill it? Luke 8:21 records that as He was in the synagogue reading from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said, "It is fulfilled." As He was hanging from the cross, He said, "It is finished." Jesus knew the will of the Father and He was able to walk in it primarily because He fully identified with that perfect will. It was not so much that He fulfilled the law, but that the law was fulfilled in Him. The law was specifically designed for the Lord Jesus Christ that it might be fulfilled in Him. What about us? The fulfillment of the law is Christ to everyone that believes in Him. (Romans 10:4).
And so, the real question for each one of us today does not concern Abel or Noah or Abraham. The most important question for us today is: Where is the Lamb for the burnt offering? What place does He occupy in our heart and mind? And then, who is willing, voluntarily, unquestioning, to become a burnt offering as unto the Lord? Who desires to be fully identified with the perfect will of the Father? Amen.
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