Worship in the Wilderness #1: The Burnt Offering

Leviticus 1

Setting: After having His people complete the Tabernacle, God was now ready to have His people worship through a whole new system.  He chose to reveal what the people were to do before giving instructions to the priests about how to aid His people in worshipping Him.  He gave instructions about different offerings they were to bring to Him.  Though these offerings have been fulfilled in Christ, the truths about how God wants and deserves to be worshipped have not.  

Key verses: 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 offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Thoughts: The core offering of the system was the "burnt offering".  It was to be brought to God to show that they were sinners who needed and were willing to repent, and that the animal served as a substitute for the the death they deserved.  The following verses go on to give the same instructions for those who could only afford a lamb or bird) Each one, by laying his hand on the head of his offering demonstrated a transfer of sin.  The offering was killed, prepared, and totally consumed by the fire. Only the skin was kept back. (as was done in the garden after Adam sinned.) This represents that a person was totally surrendering to God, making fellowship with God possible.  

Conclusion: Christ's sacrifice, which we have just looked back upon on Good Friday, paid our price "once for all," so we no longer have animal sacrifice.  God accepted what He did in our place and wants us to accept Him through faith.  God hates sin but welcomes repentant sinners through Christ.