Leviticus 1 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Leviticus 1

Laws for Burnt Offerings

1:1 The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering¹ with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

14 “If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents² and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Footnotes

[1] 1:9 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Leviticus
[2] 1:16 Or feathers

Commentary

The book of Exodus describes how the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, and came into fellowship with God. Leviticus describes how that fellowship with God was to be maintained.

v1-2: The Tabernacle was where God spoke to His people, Ex 25.22. As with many other instructions, God spoke to Moses, so that he would explain them to the people.

The first offering was the burnt offering. This was not introduced here, for both Noah and Abraham had made burnt offerings (Gen 8.20; 22.13). This was to be an offering of worship to God, and was therefore the highest offering of the five described here (chapters 1-5). The offering was of livestock, from the herd of cattle, or from the flock of sheep or goats.

v3: There was real cost in making this offering, as the worshipper had to bring a male bull (v3), or sheep or goat (v10), or turtle dove or pigeon (v14). Losing a male also meant the loss of future offspring. The animal to be offered had to be without blemish (as in Heb 9.13-14; 1 Pet 1.18-19).

The offering was a free will offering of worship. Even so, it had to be offered God's way.

v4: The substitute, to make atonement, to guarantee acceptance; Christ died fulfilling this sacrifice, to provide covering/atonement, that we might be accepted before God. Only in Christ can we be accepted.

v5: The worshipper killed the animal, and the priests offered it on the altar; see also v11, Heb 7.27. The sacrifice was not pleasant, nor was the Lord's death, yet it was absolutely necessary. The picture here is of Christ's total and perfect devotion to God (Eph 5.1-2), reflecting the fact that the whole animal was consumed (v9).

Worship of God had to be through the priest, just as our worship of God is through Jesus Christ. In the same way, salvation is only through Jesus Christ (John 14.6; Acts 4.12).

v6-8: The wood on the fire, and the pieces of the animal, were arranged in order, as in v12 also. See also 6.12; 24.3,4,8, and Ex 26.17; 27.21; 39.37; 40.4,23; although this was a free will offering, each detail had to be performed as directed by God. This did not impose extra "form", nor exclude spontaneity, for the offering itself was spontaneous; but the worshipper was not at liberty to do what he wanted. In Christian worship, the same principles of worship are to be applied.

v9: The offering was an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

v10-13: When the offering was of the flock rather than the herd, the same procedure was to be followed.

v14-17: For the poor of the land, the alternative offering was a dove or a pigeon. In John 2.16, Jesus, in cleansing the temple area, simply spoke to those who sold doves, since they were providing for the poor, and were not as culpable as those who selling cattle and sheep, or exchanging money.

In the offering after childbirth, there was also provision for the poor, see 12.1-8, fulfilled Luke 2.22-24.