Lev 1:7 | KingComments | STEP | The Israelite can choose his burnt offering from three kinds of animals. All three kinds are clean, tame animals. They also have a certain benefit for mankind. These two characteristics – clean and tame – make them suitable to serve as offering, because they show – in picture – something of the Lord Jesus’ offering. A deer, for example, is a pure animal, and can be eaten from. Yet it is unsuitable as offering, because it is not tame. It must be hunted. On the Lord Jesus there was no need to be hunted, so to speak. He has voluntarily come to the service of man. The offerings are decreasing in size. God starts with the biggest animal. If it’s a burnt offering from the herd, it must be a male without defect. The offeror must look for this in his herd. That requires effort. Bringing an offering takes effort, it does not happen by itself (cf. ). Then he has to bring his offering to the tent of meeting. There he becomes aware of his being a pleasure to God. Spiritually applied this means that an offering to God – that is, to tell Him something about the Lord Jesus – cannot be made without having been busy with the Lord Jesus and seeing Who He is for God. We see this when we read the Gospels, especially the Gospel according to John. There we see how He does everything for God. Everything He does is perfect, unblemished, without any defect; He is “unblemished and spotless” ( ). He does everything in male power and with perseverance. The bull also suggests persevering service. When the offeror and his offering animal stand before the tent of meeting, he must put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering. By this he identifies himself with the offering. All the value of the burnt offering is therefore as it were passed on to him, the offeror. God sees him in this offering. This suggests to us that God “has taken us into favor in the Beloved” ( , Darby Translation). He no longer sees our sins, they are atoned or covered by the work of the Lord Jesus. Our identification with the Lord Jesus is also beautifully described in Romans 6: “For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection” ( ; ). The aspect of atonement is also mentioned. Atonement means covering. The offeror is covered before God in view of his sins. Although the burnt offering is not brought for the sake of sin, the offeror is a sinner by nature. When we come to God in the pleasantness of Christ’s offering, we know that atonement for our sins has been made. Therefore, immediately following the fact that we have been taken into favor in the Beloved, it is said: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” ( ). After the offeror has put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, he must slay the animal, literally ‘cut the throat’. This emphasizes that the animal is not only killed, but that blood flows. It means to us that we think about the death of the Lord Jesus. We must realize in our hearts that He died because God asked Him to do so. We offer the Lord Jesus as a burnt offering to God, we bring Him before God, when we tell God how much He must have found a perfect pleasure in the death of the Lord Jesus. The offeror may also skin the burnt offering and cut the offering into its pieces. We do this when we are busy with the inner life of the Lord Jesus. Especially in the book of Psalms we hear what is going on in Him during the accomplishment of His work on the cross. Everything is perfectly devoted to God, both externally and internally. Reading about it, thinking about it, and then talking to God about it is laying down the pieces of the offering before Him. Through their dealings with God, priests know the value of the blood and of the pieces of the offering. They know how to deal with it, how to sacrifice everything in a way that is pleasing to God. The priests make fire. Fire represents God’s examining and testing holiness. The offering comes into the fire. God’s examining and testing holiness finds nothing in Him personally that is not in accordance with God’s holiness. In the “pieces” we can see the different phases of the Lord Jesus’ life. Each phase shows perfection. As a Child and as a young Man He is perfectly obedient to His parents. When He is an Adult and goes His way through Israel, He is also perfect there. In everything He encounters on His way His perfection becomes visible. He always speaks and acts perfectly. The “head” represents the thinking of the Lord Jesus. All His thoughts are always focused on God. The “suet” or “fat” represents the energy with which He accomplishes the work. In the peace offering the fat is spoken of extensively ( ). The “entrails” represent His inner feelings. We read several times that the Lord Jesus “felt compassion”, that is to say, was moved inwardly ( ; ; ). The “legs” speak of His walk. All pieces must be washed with water. Water is a picture of the Word of God ( ). There is nothing in the Lord Jesus that should be washed away, as is so often the case with us. Everything in and of the Lord Jesus is in perfect accordance with God’s Word. With Him the water is, so to speak, before as pure as after washing, because there is no dirt to remove. Every aspect of His life and death has been tested by the Word of God. Everything turns out to be based on the Word and finds its fulfilment in Him. Everything is burned on the altar, so that it goes up to God as a soothing aroma for Him. The altar is a picture of the cross of the Lord Jesus where He gave the offering of His life. God wishes to receive from our heart what we have considered in it about what His Son did on the cross, especially when we are together as a church.

‏ Leviticus 1:7

A Burnt Offering From the Herd

The Israelite can choose his burnt offering from three kinds of animals. All three kinds are clean, tame animals. They also have a certain benefit for mankind. These two characteristics – clean and tame – make them suitable to serve as offering, because they show – in picture – something of the Lord Jesus’ offering. A deer, for example, is a pure animal, and can be eaten from. Yet it is unsuitable as offering, because it is not tame. It must be hunted. On the Lord Jesus there was no need to be hunted, so to speak. He has voluntarily come to the service of man.

The offerings are decreasing in size. God starts with the biggest animal. If it’s a burnt offering from the herd, it must be a male without defect. The offeror must look for this in his herd. That requires effort. Bringing an offering takes effort, it does not happen by itself (cf. 1Chr 21:23-24). Then he has to bring his offering to the tent of meeting. There he becomes aware of his being a pleasure to God.

Spiritually applied this means that an offering to God – that is, to tell Him something about the Lord Jesus – cannot be made without having been busy with the Lord Jesus and seeing Who He is for God. We see this when we read the Gospels, especially the Gospel according to John. There we see how He does everything for God. Everything He does is perfect, unblemished, without any defect; He is “unblemished and spotless” (1Pet 1:19). He does everything in male power and with perseverance. The bull also suggests persevering service.

When the offeror and his offering animal stand before the tent of meeting, he must put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering. By this he identifies himself with the offering. All the value of the burnt offering is therefore as it were passed on to him, the offeror. God sees him in this offering. This suggests to us that God “has taken us into favor in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6, Darby Translation). He no longer sees our sins, they are atoned or covered by the work of the Lord Jesus. Our identification with the Lord Jesus is also beautifully described in Romans 6: “For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection” (Rom 6:5; Eph 2:5-6).

The aspect of atonement is also mentioned. Atonement means covering. The offeror is covered before God in view of his sins. Although the burnt offering is not brought for the sake of sin, the offeror is a sinner by nature. When we come to God in the pleasantness of Christ’s offering, we know that atonement for our sins has been made. Therefore, immediately following the fact that we have been taken into favor in the Beloved, it is said: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7).

After the offeror has put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, he must slay the animal, literally ‘cut the throat’. This emphasizes that the animal is not only killed, but that blood flows. It means to us that we think about the death of the Lord Jesus. We must realize in our hearts that He died because God asked Him to do so. We offer the Lord Jesus as a burnt offering to God, we bring Him before God, when we tell God how much He must have found a perfect pleasure in the death of the Lord Jesus.

The offeror may also skin the burnt offering and cut the offering into its pieces. We do this when we are busy with the inner life of the Lord Jesus. Especially in the book of Psalms we hear what is going on in Him during the accomplishment of His work on the cross. Everything is perfectly devoted to God, both externally and internally. Reading about it, thinking about it, and then talking to God about it is laying down the pieces of the offering before Him.

Through their dealings with God, priests know the value of the blood and of the pieces of the offering. They know how to deal with it, how to sacrifice everything in a way that is pleasing to God. The priests make fire. Fire represents God’s examining and testing holiness. The offering comes into the fire. God’s examining and testing holiness finds nothing in Him personally that is not in accordance with God’s holiness.

In the “pieces” we can see the different phases of the Lord Jesus’ life. Each phase shows perfection. As a Child and as a young Man He is perfectly obedient to His parents. When He is an Adult and goes His way through Israel, He is also perfect there. In everything He encounters on His way His perfection becomes visible. He always speaks and acts perfectly.

The “head” represents the thinking of the Lord Jesus. All His thoughts are always focused on God. The “suet” or “fat” represents the energy with which He accomplishes the work. In the peace offering the fat is spoken of extensively (Lev 3:3-5). The “entrails” represent His inner feelings. We read several times that the Lord Jesus “felt compassion”, that is to say, was moved inwardly (Mt 9:36 ; Mt 14:14 ; Mt 15:32 ; Mt 18:27 ; Mt 20:34; Mk 1:41 ; Mk 6:34 ; Mk 8:2; Lk 7:13 ; Lk 10:33 ; Lk 15:20). The “legs” speak of His walk.

All pieces must be washed with water. Water is a picture of the Word of God (Eph 5:26). There is nothing in the Lord Jesus that should be washed away, as is so often the case with us. Everything in and of the Lord Jesus is in perfect accordance with God’s Word. With Him the water is, so to speak, before as pure as after washing, because there is no dirt to remove. Every aspect of His life and death has been tested by the Word of God. Everything turns out to be based on the Word and finds its fulfilment in Him.

Everything is burned on the altar, so that it goes up to God as a soothing aroma for Him. The altar is a picture of the cross of the Lord Jesus where He gave the offering of His life. God wishes to receive from our heart what we have considered in it about what His Son did on the cross, especially when we are together as a church.