Articles
“The Whole Burnt Offering”
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish…And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 1:3-9
Leviticus is perhaps one of the most overlooked books in Scripture by Christians today. Its detailed and often perplexing regulations concerning sacrifices and the priesthood can feel alien and irrelevant to modern readers. As a result, we may not approach the book with much interest or we may simply ignore it. However, the book holds many rich treasures that strengthen our faith in Christ. One such treasure is the burnt offering.
Let’s set the stage first. God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them at Sinai (Exodus 1-24), then instructed them to build a tabernacle so that he could dwell with them (Exodus 25-40). With the tabernacle finished, the LORD spoke the content of Leviticus to Israel through Moses a month later (Lev. 1:1; cf. Ex. 40:1-2; Num. 1:1). The book provides laws for the nation so that they can be faithful members of God’s kingdom. These laws helped them show their faithfulness in two ways: First, they instructed Israel how to maintain fellowship with the God who dwelt with them. Second, they instructed Israel how to reflect God’s holiness so that they could fulfill their calling to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:4-6). In fact, the Hebrew title of the book is wayyiqra’, which means “and he called.” Our English title “Leviticus” is derived from the Greek Septuagint and means “concerning the Levites.” This title is misleading as the book concerns all of Israel, not just the priesthood. The first section of the book teaches the Israelites how to present five main sacrifices to the LORD: the burnt (1:3-17), grain (2:1-16), peace (3:1-17), sin (4:1-5:13) and guilt offerings (5:14-6:7).
What was the burnt offering? The burnt offering was by far the most costly because the entire animal was burned up on the altar; no portion was left to be given to the priest or shared with the worshiper. The burnt offering goes back to at least Noah’s day (Gen. 8:20). Abel’s sacrifice, though not called a burnt offering, may have been an early form. It checks a few boxes: “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering” (Gen. 4:4). Abel’s sacrifice was taken from the flock (Lev. 1:10), included the fat portion (12) and was accepted by God (“a pleasing aroma to the LORD,13). The ram caught in the thicket on Mt. Moriah which Abraham offered in place of his son Isaac was called a “burnt offering” (Gen. 22:13). Usually burnt offerings were made with an accompanying petition (1 Sam. 7:9-10) or word of praise (Psa. 66:13-15). The aim of the worshiper was to be “accepted before the LORD” (3)—the offerer desired God to hear and grant their request or accept their praise.
How were burnt offerings given? There were three acceptable ways Israelites could offer a burn offering, depending on their financial circumstances: one could make an offering from their herd—the most valuable (3-9)—but offerings from their flock (10-13) and of birds (14-17) were just as acceptable. Mary and Joseph offered birds when dedicating Jesus at the temple (Lk. 2:24; cf. Lev. 12:1-8). Offerings from the herd and flock were to be only males "without blemish” (3, 10), because an animal’s physical defects (22:22-24) would lessen the value of the offering, making it unworthy of the LORD (see Mal. 1:8). The worshiper would lead the animal to the “entrance to the tent of meeting” (3), “lay his hand on the head” so that it was “accepted” on their behalf (4) and slaughter it before the LORD (5a). The priests would then collect the blood, splash it against the sides of the altar (5b), skin and butcher the sacrifice (6), wash its entrails (9a) and burn the entire thing (9b).
What did the burnt offering achieve? It was a costly and bloody ritual that reminded Israelites of their sin in the presence of God. However, it also reminded them of God’s grace. The burnt offering made “atonement” for the worshiper (4). That is, the sacrifice achieved both expiation (the removal of sin) and propitiation (the appeasement of wrath). Sin is a rebellion against a holy and just God; it both corrupts and condemns. God graciously accepted sacrifices like the burnt offering on the sinner’s behalf—the life of the animal in exchange for the life of the worshiper—and purified the worshiper of sin.
But how can Leviticus say such sacrifices “make atonement” when the Hebrew writer explicitly says that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4)? Perhaps we can make sense of this by thinking of the sacrifice like writing a check—which God accepted but did not cash until Jesus came to pay it in full. God could forgive sin in the Old Testament in view of the ultimate sacrifice that was coming under the New. David understood the limits of the burnt offering and reasoned that all he could do was give the LORD his broken life and trust in his mercy: “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psa. 50:16-17)
What does the burnt offering mean for Christians? “When Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” (Heb. 10:5-7) The Hebrew writer, quoting from Psalm 40:6-8, explains that Jesus achieved what burnt offerings only symbolized. He came into the world, took on a flesh and blood body and gave his body as a sacrifice on the cross for us.
The burnt offering, a sacrifice in which the entire animal was consumed with fire on the altar, symbolized the worshiper’s total commitment to God. When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus responded with Deuteronomy 6:4-5, to love God with “all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mk. 12:30-31). The scribe who asked Jesus the question responded, “You are right, Teacher… to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mk. 12:32-33). This scribe was “not far from the kingdom of God.” He got it—he understood what God desired: our whole self.
Jesus exemplified this total giving of self to God and others in love on the cross. In him, we are purified and redeemed. Our sins are completely atoned for and there is no need for us to offer sacrifices to either appease God’s wrath (propitiation) or plead for his mercy (expiation). Jesus’ sacrifice has done it all (Rom. 3:25; Col. 1:14; 1 Jn. 2:2). Now we are to give ourselves as a “living sacrifice” to God out of love and gratitude (Rom. 12:1-2). A life of such sacrifice would be “a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Lev. 1:9, 13, 17).
