Exegesis
Leviticus ch1.
1:1, 2:
Introduction.
1:1.
"Tent of meeting"
Literally
"tabernacle of the congregation".
This verse connects the following with the end of Exodus.
c/f Leviticus 7:38 - seems to be a discrepancy here. Usual suggestion is that Leviticus 1:1 is an
editorial gloss to suggest a connection.
1:2.
"any man of you"
Private offerings are in mind here.
"offering"
Oblation - Hebrew "korban" - a word peculiar to
Ezekiel and P.
It marks something brought near, i.e. to God at the sanctuary.
To say "It is korban" is to say "It is devoted to God".
Replaces the general term "minhah" which now is
restricted to the cereal offering.
1:3-17
Ritual of the Burnt offering.
This offering, in contrast to the sin offering and trespass
offerings, seems to have the thought of the complete dedication of the offerer.
c/f Romans 12:1,2- uses the language from here.
"it shall be accepted for him to make atonement"
Shows the offering was preceded by confession and expiation.
"atonement"
Literally = "to cover over" - implies the covering
of sin as God cannot look on it.
1:3.
"burnt offering"
Hebrew = "olah", that which goes up (on the
altar).
Refers to the distinguishing thing about this offering.
Also called "kalil" - "whole burnt
offering", Deut 33:10.
The word holocaust comes from this, derived from the LXX
holocaustum.
"that he may be accepted"
Better rendering than AV = "of his own voluntary
will". However the offering was a voluntary one, though that is not taught
here.
Literally = "for his acceptance" - Whose? It is
not easy to decide for whom the pronoun stands - worshiper, offering, priest?
The meaning in any case, is that God shall accept both sacrifice and offerer
and so there will be "reason", goodwill, acceptance, between them.
1:4.
"lay his hands"
Meaning of this debated. Some reject substitutionary view.
Can mean transference.
Root here => "laid on with firmness".
1:5
"kill"
Hebrew = "sahat" - a technical term for
slaughtering and animal - 38X in Pentateuch, 13x elsewhere.
Strictly it means killing with a heavy, smashing blow.
Used in 1 Kings 10:16 of beaten, hammered gold.
"Aaron's sons, the priests"
"sprinkle the blood"
Or dash, toss, see v11, 3:2,8 and elsewhere.
Hebrew = "zara" = throw, toss. The priest stood at
two corners and threw it so that all four sides were covered.
According to one tradition there was a red line on the
altar. Clean blood, such as this, not offered for sin was thrown above the
line, blood for sin, i.e. the sin offering, was thrown below the line.
Clean blood is an offering; sin blood is not.
Blood was caught by the priest in a large basin and then
thrown on the sides of the altar. For sprinkling in the proper sense see 4:6.
1:6
"cut into pieces"
Literally = cut up and divide by the joints.
1:7.
"put fire on the altar"
But it was kept burning continually. This thus refers to
earlier actions.
"arrange the wood in order"
Presumably this is an example of an offering in which the
wood is heaped up, sufficient to burn the whole beast, then the animal is put
on top. The fire was thus large enough, and hot enough, to consume the whole
beast. Thus it became known as the "fire offering".
The wood pile had to be arranged very carefully as no one
log was allowed to protrude out any further than another (Tam ii,3).
1:8.
1:9.
"legs"
Better "hind legs". Root = to bow down,
bend", so refers to legs with a bend in them.
"Washing"
Removes the filth of execration.
"priest shall burn the sacrifice"
"Burn" here is a technical sacrificial term
meaning to "make to smoke", and is quite distinct from the ordinary
word for burning as used in 4:12,21; 6:17,19.
Thus could be translated here "shall consume the whole
in sweet smoke".
"A sweet savour"
Literally - " a
fire offering of odour of soothing" - implies the idea that the sacrifice
gives pleasure to God.
c/f 1 Samuel 26:19 "let him accept (Literally = smell)
the offering".
1:10.
1:11.
"on the side of the altar, northward"
I.e. in the court to the north of the altar. The north was
traditionally thought to be the home of the gods. The Babylonian Olympiad was
in the north.
A matter of practicality here - the ramp was on the south,
the rubbish heap on the east, the vessels for washing on the west - the only
place one could do anything was on the north.
1:12.
"Head and it's fat"
1:14.
"young pigeons"
Not necessary to insist on "young" here as the
Hebrew "son of" means "belonging to the class of". However
Jewish tradition says the doves could be adult but the pigeons not. These
pigeons were bred by the priests on the Mt of Olives where there were four
shops.
1:15.
"wring off it's head"
Hebrew = "malak" = "to nip, wrench off",
The priest really cut the head off with his fingernail.
Martin Noth: The blood rite here consisted of squeezing the
body against the wall of the altar - there would not have been enough to catch
in a bowl. The blood had to be squeezed out to the last drop.
1:16.
"the crop and the feathers"
- mu'rah - crop, alimentary canal.
- nosah - plumage, but could read soah - excrement, i.e. the
contents of the crop.
"east side"
Not actually in front of the altar but east of the ramp
which lead up to the alter on the south side - this ramp was half the width of
the altar, so there was space each side, the ashes, etc., were deposited here.
"ashes"
Hebrew = desen = fatness - used in general for rich food or
for spiritual blessing, but also for refuse from the alter, which contained
large amounts of unburnt fat.
The
law of the Burnt offering.
6:8-13.
Since all of the offering is burnt on the altar there
remains only two things to think about:
(i) The disposal of the ashes,
Saturated in the fat - these were first cleared away to the
rubbish heap on the east side of the altar, but later the priest had to take
them to a clean place for disposal.
(ii) The tending of the fire.
Not allowed to go out - a symbol of Israel's
consecration to Yahweh. This, in fact, covered all the fire offerings. The fire
was to be maintained by adding extra wood if need be. The language here
suggests that only one offering every 24 hours was offered.
"put off his garments"
Ezekiel 44:19. The reason given here is that the priests
were not to sanctify the people with their garments on.
The idea behind this was that the priest’s garments were
thought to have a spiritual charge, a contagious holiness that was dangerous to
all unconsecrated people.
6:9.
"hearth"
Hebrew - moedah - only occurs here. Most assume it means,
"place of burning", but it may mean, "burning mass", i.e.
the whole offering.
6:10.
"breeches"
Hebrew = Gather together. These garments reached from the
loins to the thighs and were gathered at the bottoms, to ensure the priest was
not exposed while up on the alter.
"take up the ashes"
The unconsumed fat. The practice grew of keeping a handful
of the previous day's ashes, fat, and adding them to the altar on the new day
to show continuity of sacrifice.
"beside the alter"
Every day the ashes and fat were thrown aside. When the heap
got too big it was removed elsewhere.
6:12.
The wood for the offerings was brought to the temple nine
times a year, the last time being the feast of the wood offering of 15th Ab,
about the 1st August. Five of the occasions were in the month of Ab, the best
time for cutting wood. Wood was stored in a special room on the south side. The
wood on the altar was replenished four times a day.
6:13.
The fire was believed to have been kindled by God himself,
so was not to be allowed to go out.
7:8.
The hide goes the officiating priest?
It may do so with other sacrifices, but is not specifically
said so for the burnt offering. It seems more likely, as this is a whole
offering; that it is assumed that the hide is destroyed in another way.
Leviticus
Ch 1: - The Burnt Offering.
APPLICATION
TO CHRIST OF LEVITICUS 1.
Leviticus
1.
"Burnt offering"
Hebrew Literally = "that which ascends", i.e. as
smoke to God.
Unique among the offerings - all of it was burnt. No one ate
anything.
In all of the other offerings part of it was retained by the
priest or the offerer to be eaten.
Four names:
(i) Olah - that which ascends
(ii) Ishshah - that which is burnt, exhales odour.
(iii) Kalil - that which is whole. Word
"holocaust" comes from this via LXX holocaustum, which translates
kalil.
(iv) It was also the "ram of consecration".
Exodus 29:19,20;
Leviticus 8:22-24
It was seen to be the highest sacrifice in the OT as it all
ascended - Exodus 29:15-18; Leviticus 8:18-21.
The altar is named after it even though other sacrifices are
offered on it also. All the other offerings were burnt on the altar, i.e. they
were mixed together; thus the ascending smoke typified the whole Christ.
The only Being who took part in the burnt offering was God,
he received the smoke, a sweet smelling savour. Nothing we have or are is to be
held back; but we are to give ourselves totally to God, pouring our life out at
his feet. Clearly only Jesus did this
perfectly.
Speaks of the Total Commitment of Christ to the will of God.
Colossians 2:17; Ephesians 5:2 - "a fragrant
offering"
Hebrew 10:5.
The whole of the book of Hebrews emphasizes the fact that
Christ ascended, thus he is the acceptable sacrifice that ascended to God. This
ascension was based on the living of a perfect life while here on earth.
Isaiah 53:12 "He poured out his soul unto death"
Thus the Burnt offering symbolizes Christ in his ascension,
the one who perfectly did the will of God in this life and thus was accepted
into his presence. He is the whole burnt offering. He was given to God in his
entirety, man having no part in it.
The Key is total obedience to the will of God. Jesus was
always aware he was doing God's will. His life was as a sweet smelling savour
to God, an acceptable sacrifice.
Psalms 40:6-8 c/f Hebrews 10:1-9.
We see the ultimate of this in Gethsemene, where he lays
down his human will to the will of God.
This obedience was even "unto death, the death of a
cross".
"A sweet savour"
Not about sin. But the offerer came for acceptance as a
worshiper not as a sinner looking for forgiveness. Thus doesn't speak of Christ
as sin bearer but as man in perfectness meeting God. He appears, not as our sin
offering, but as a man offering to God something very precious, what truly
satisfies him, food for God, perfect obedience.
"voluntary"
c/f Luke 22:42.
"For acceptance.”
Hebrew Literally: for his acceptance.
No son of Adam could be found to meet God's standard, but
Jesus as man's representative, took man's place, under law, in obedience to law
offered "for his acceptance" to make atonement. Atonement here does
not mean for sin but simply making satisfaction, the satisfaction of loving and
holy requirements.
Differences From the Other Offerings:
Contrasts show the different aspects of Christ's offering.
(1) The Blood:
(a) In the sin offerings the blood is said to be:
"an atonement
for (the offerer's) sin", this is
not so here, the meaning is more general. In the burnt offering "the
atonement", the satisfaction, is one made by one who comes as a worshiper
without sin and in his sinless offering offers for acceptance that which is
received as a sweet savour by the Lord.
Christ's perfect obedience transforms our sinful lives. In
his own body he exchanged the sinful body of flesh of a life of perfect
holiness unto God.
The burnt offering is thus an offering of a life. A life of
obedience to God. What we owe to God is our duty to him; it is our lives.
Christ alone perfectly gave a life to God.
The sin offering is an offering of a life also, but a life
in payment for sin.
This is how the Burnt offering differs from the sin
offerings.
(b) In this it differs from cereal offering, blood is shed.
The cereal offering speaks of Christ's relationships to
mankind before God thus no blood is shed, the Burnt offering has blood in that
it is to do with the worshipers personal relation with God, thus needing
atonement.
(2) The Burning:
It was wholly burnt, in this it differed from all other
offerings. Man's duty to God is not the giving up of one faculty but the entire
surrender of all. Christ fulfilled this, "It is finished".
____________________________
The Varieties in the offering:
Shows the different understandings believers have of Christ
as Burnt offering.
(1) Choice of animal.
Four types of offerings:
All domestic - tame - vegetarian. Only a docile creature
could symbolize Christ.
All symbolize different appreciations the Believer can have
of Christ as Burnt offering.
(i) Bull - patient labour.
(ii) Lamb - passive submission without a murmur.
(iii) Dove - mourning innocence.
When we look at Jesus we can see him in his labour, his
submission, or his innocence. All are true; all are acceptable
Man's duty to God is a life of innocence, a life of
submission, life of service.
(iv) Goat.
- reminds us of the scapegoat - a measure of apprehension,
of seeing - we may see Christ bring his
offering without clearly distinguishing the aspects of his offering, so in all
the offerings we find in the lower grades the distinctive nature of That
offering is lost sight of and the thought or view of another offering is
substituted in its place, so here when a believer has a small apprehension of
Christ as Burnt offering he confuses it with the sin offering.
"Turtledoves or pigeons" - same monetary value but
available at different times of the year. In other seasons they are tough and
inedible - what is no use to man is no use to God.
i.e. cost is important.
We shouldn't give our worn out things to God but should give
our best. - The first fruits, not our left overs.
Qualifications:
"male"
A male - nothing expressive of weakness or imperfection. In
some other offerings a female was allowed, but this was only expressive of the
worshipers appreciation which was imperfect, not an admission of any defect in
the offering, as the female also had to be perfect.
It also speaks of the fact that Christ was indeed male.
"without defect"
- speaks of Christ's sinlessness in external deeds. As far
as the offerer could tell by looking the offering was perfect.
The righteousness of Christ in this offering is seen in:
(i) His inherent righteousness - perfection of being.
The chosen offering was to be "without defect".
(ii) Before the law - he fully obeyed the law of love.
The offering was dissected and found internally pure.
Offering determined by possession:
If you had herds then choosing from the flock was not
enough. If you had flocks doves were inadequate. God does not ask from us more
than he has given us - according to his prospering of us we should give to him.
He does not accept inferior from those who can do better. Our responsibilities
are according to our privileges.
A man offered what he already had. 2 Corinthians 8:12.
(2) In lower grades it is not divided.
When a believer has a good understanding he will see the
offering dissected - he will be constantly be looking to see the walk, the
will, the mind, the feelings of Jesus. When apprehension is small these details
are overlooked.
(3) Laying on of hands:
Done on bull - not so in other grades.
Identity of offerer and offering is seen clearly here, but
in lower grades this is not appreciated. Many see Christ was an offering and
don't see his offering was himself.
(4) Who kills the victim:
Bull - offerer does it, not so in last - priest does it. In
last priest does nearly everything.
Offerer = Christ in his person.
Priest = Christ in his office, mediator.
Where there is little appreciation, little is known of
Christ save his office, he himself, i.e. his person, is overlooked or little
seen.
___________________________
Prescribed Ritual:
Two parts:
(1) The offerer's part.
(2) The priest's part.
(1) The offerer's part.
Speaks of Christ as man making a perfect offering to God.
(a) Select offering.
Christ chose himself.
(b) Bring it to door of tabernacle.
The place where God's people met, a public place. Christ did
not hide in dark corners but his ministry was open and public.
(c) Lay hands on it.
Hebrew - implies laid heavily, as if pressing a seal or
imprint - suggests identification. The worshiper here lays his hand on the head
of the animal, thus becoming one with it. From then on the animal becomes his
substitute, and what happens physically to the animal becomes spiritually true
of the worshiper. The animal will give it's all in the sacrificial rite, the
worshiper spiritually can do no less.
Christ identified himself by being the sacrifice.
(d) North side.
Christ died on north side of Jerusalem.
(e) Kill it.
Offerer did it himself - Christ offered himself.
(2) The priest's part.
Aaron is a type of Christ, thus Aaron's house a type of
Christ's house.
c/f Hebrew 3 - Christ is a son over his own house, we are
that house. "Behold... the children thou hast given me."
Aaron's thus sons do not typify sinners but worshipping
saints, those who are already members of the family of God. The sin question is
already dealt with, this offering is not about that, but it is about worship.
The actions of the priests thus typify actions we have a
part in.
It is the church entering into, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, the stupendous thought of Christ's absolute devotedness to God. An act
of worship.
"It is our reasonable worship" Romans 12:1,2.
(a) Flay it.
Skin it. Expose what is inside.
(b) Cut it in pieces.
(i) Head = Mind.
(ii) Legs = Walk, Will.
(iii) Fat - Hebrew = inside fat, i.e. suet, speaks of the
inward healthiness and vigour of the animal. C/f Psalms 40:8; 139:23.
(iv) Inward parts = Emotional life, affections.
No one could see this inner development until it was laid
bare.
- all symbolize Christ examined:
1 John 3:5.
2 Corinthians 5:21
1 Peter 2:22
Hebrews 4:15.
Whether the offering was seen as a whole, or seen in its
parts, it was perfect. So too with Christ - whether we consider him in his
external life or his internal life, he is perfect.
(c) Wash inwards with water:
To clean off any excrement.
Christ's will and affections were washed by obedience to the
will of God as seen in the word (the water).
(d) Arrange wood and fire on altar:
Fire - Hebrew = Hikter (to burn on the altar).
A different word than that used WRT sin offering. Hebrew
here = to burn incense. Burn WRT sin offering is the more general word for
burn. Sin offering was burnt in a different place and is burnt in a different
way.
I.e. = a sacrificial flame, i.e. the implication is not that
the offering is burnt on the fire, but that it goes up to God. The character of
the offering is that it is a sweet savour to God, i.e. it doesn't touch on sin at all - thus the
antitype is not Christ the sin bearer but Christ the righteous one.
=Law of burnt offering:
"fire never to go out" "all night until
morning"
Type of reconciliation of Christ which is available all
night until the coming of the Day.
(e) The blood.
Two things done with blood:
(i) Collected and presented to God as a wave offering.
Wave offering: something is held up before God as if to say,
"This is now yours", but it is then taken back, as if God says to us,
"Now I give it back to you".
i.e. here the worshiper offers his life to God, and God then
gives it back. But for what purpose?
(ii) Thrown about around the altar at the door of the tent
of meeting.
Hebrew - zara = throw, toss ( not sprinkle ).
Typifies the church bringing
the memorial of the accomplished sacrifice and presenting it in place of the individual approach to God.
C/f - Leviticus 17:10-12.
"The life of the flesh is in the blood."
"life" = Hebrew nephesh = the soul life. Our soul
is our personality, our whole being.
Blood in Scripture speaks of life being given.
(f) Burn offering.
(g) Put on pure white garments.
Garments of beauty and glory Exodus 28:40.
(h) Remove ashes to east side of altar.
East - first rays of sun shone on them, on the east all can
see them // Christ died, the Centurion
saw it.
(i) Put off garments:
Priests garment are not allowed to be worn outside of the
sanctuary Ezekiel 44:19.
(j) Carry ashes to a clean place.
"a clean place"
// Christ's tomb - never used.
"Ashes" = residue of Christ's life after his
ascension 2 Corinthians 4:10,11 - is our experience of Christ.
"carried"
They were mingled ashes of all the offerings - we are to
carry the whole Christ, we ought to walk as he walked. Romans12:1,2.
"Outside the camp"
- Christ killed outside the gates because
(i) He was rejected. Hebrews 13:12,13.
(ii) His death was universal - inside would imply
limitation.
(k) Take charge of altar and the sacred flame.
Fire - a visible token, a perpetual testimony to God's
acceptance of the consecrated offering.
A picture of testimony, witnessing.
Fire shall never be put out - a negative side - it can be
put out by:
·
Suppression of truth by unbelievers.
·
Addition of human traditions.
·
Neglect of communion, worship, prayer.
Fire shall ever be burning - positive side.
·
Implies active measures to ensure it is
so - i.e. we need to take active measures to preach the gospel, we are
lampstands.
"it shall never go out" - a promise and a command
- he ensures it will never go out.
(l) Feed the flame with the prescribed portions of the peace
offering.
Peace offering never burnt independently of a burnt
offering.
Leviticus 3:5.
C)
Application to the Believer of Leviticus 1.
This obedience must also be worked out in our lives:
The Burnt offering speaks of this total dedication.
Romans 12:1,2.
Paul here uses the language of the Burnt offering.
The key to understanding the Burnt offering is that it
describes the PROCESS by which we become conformed to God's will.
Two main actors:
(i) The worshiper, who offers the sacrifice.
(ii) The priest, who officiates, i.e. who acts on behalf of
God. Over and over again we are told "the priest shall..."
The work of the offerer is very small - he comes with his
offering, lays his hands on it, then the rest is undertaken by the priest. This
tells us the reality of our experience:
(i) We make a total commitment of our life to God.
(ii) He (in the priest) then works that out in our
experience.
The details of what the priest did are types of the various
steps God does in our lives to make our total commitment more than just a
confession, it makes it an experiential reality.
(2) This giving of ourselves is not to be a
"oncer". This form of commitment is not something that we do once and
it sticks forever.
Leviticus 6:8-13.
v9 - all night.
v12 - every morning.
- it is called "the continual burnt offering ".
Everyday we are to offer ourselves in total to God again,
morning and evening. For them, evening
was the start of the calendar day, 6.00pm being the beginning of the new
day. Morning was the beginning of the
working day.
Whatever our activity we should give ourselves totally to
God.
A voluntary offering - Christ must be our first love, but
love is voluntary, not commanded.
As we look at Leviticus 1 we find that it falls into three
separate parts.
v1-9 - An offering of Cattle.
v10-11 - an offering from the flock - sheep or goats.
v12-17 - an offering of birds.
Order is important, most expensive -> cheapest.
·
Signifies God's view of importance,
puts first his ideal in his dealings with us, he puts last what he finds least
satisfactory.
·
In our experience the reverse is true.
When we come to God we first offer only an offering of birds, then we offer
from the flock , then we offer from the herd.
Expense = cost to us as God works it out.
Symbolizes three different stages of Christian growth.
(i) Birds - a new Christian; our first experience of total
commitment. Can be done in isolation.
(ii) The sheep, or goats, speaking of the flock, = a level
of commitment to God required of us if we are to live in relationship with the
rest of the Flock of God, the Church. We cannot demonstrate commitment to God
if we are not committed to the flock of God.
(iii) The cattle offering = level of commitment required of
us if we are to be ministers of God. Cattle, or oxen, are often in typology a
symbol of the leaders of God's people.
In a burnt offering of cattle the same things are done as
with the sheep offering, but the reality is it is far more expensive.
(2) A More
Detailed Look at the three offerings.
(a) The Bird Offering.
Leviticus 1:14-17.
(i) Very cheap. A pair of doves cost only a penny. Even the
poorest person could afford to make this offering.
When we become Christians we realize that we have nothing
good in ourselves that we can offer God. We are poverty struck before God, but
can offer ourselves in our totality to God.
(ii) Not divided up. God does not deal with us in too much
specific areas at this level of commitment. We come to God saying, "Lord I
give you my all", not really knowing what that means, and God accepts the
general offering of our lives to him.
(iii) Four areas of our lives that God must deal with at
this point of time.
#1 (v15) - the head - it has to be wrung off and burnt
separately. The mind. We cannot reason our way to God, we must accept him by
faith.
This is not to say that faith is anti-intellectual, it is
not. We must learn to use our minds for God in the later offerings. But total
commitment to God is not a position arrived at by rational logic, it is a
demand of faith.
#2 (v15) - the blood - is drained out on the altar.
Our soul life needs to be given to God, drained out, emptied
of ourselves and our own ambitions.
#3 (v16) - the feathers -
those external things in our lives in which we glory and take pride.
There can be no self aggrandizement before God.
#4 (v16) - the crop - the stomach of the bird - the lusts of
the flesh. Until we knew God our God was our belly, we were driven by the lusts
of our fleshly nature: food, sex, comfort, position and drink. These are
idolatry.
The crop and the feathers are cast aside on the rubbish heap
on the east side of the altar. Pride and idolatry cannot be offered to God as
part of the sacrifice of our lives.
"torn open," - there must be a openness of heart,
an honesty, no hidden motives as we present ourselves to God. We must be torn
open so what is inside can be clearly seen.
"but not divided asunder" - this is the offering
of our whole lives to God in a general way.
There is no specific dealings of God in our inner man, only externals
are dealt with.
(b) The Sheep Offering.
(1) Divided up.
A general offering of our lives to God is no longer
adequate, God wants holiness in our whole being, but he has to achieve that by
working in different areas of our lives.
Four parts = four areas of our life that we need to allow
God to purify. He needs to know by testing if indeed he is Lord in that area of
our life.
(i) The head = the mind
If you love me trust me - God lets us be wrong until we give
up relying on our own resources, on our own mind. We are brought up to rely on
the mind by our education. We need to learn it is not our mind but God who
gives truth.
Blows up long held beliefs - often publicly where we are
embarrassed.
(ii) The fat =
strength, our accumulated resources.
"Lord I'll hang on till the end" - this attitude
must go.
(iii) Legs = our
walk, our way of life, hence speak of our will.
God breaks our rebellion by putting us under authority in
every area of our life.
(iv) Inward parts = our heart, that is our affections,
desires, dreams and emotions.
If God is not our first desire then he will ultimately
frustrate all our other desires.
Reveals wrong desires and asks repentance.
If this fails lets you have the desire of your heart in
excess
Numbers 11:4-6, 31-34; Proverbs 1:24-32.
I.e. Our mind, will, heart and strength.
This is the working out of the greatest commandment in our
lives:
" Thou shalt love the lord your God, with all your
mind, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength."
(2)
Procedure:
Shows how God works out this perfect love in these areas of
our lives.
(a) Head and fat are taken and placed on the altar. No extra preparation - they are to be simply
exposed to the fire of God.
Our human intellect and human strength are of no value to
God. They cannot be purified, they are too corrupt. What we can reason out for
ourselves is useless to him, because he wants us to learn to walk by the voice
of his Spirit. What we can do by our own efforts and strength cannot bring
glory to his name. But to do that we
have to learn in the fires of God the futility of our own reasonings and
efforts.
We need a new mind, the mind of Christ.
We need a change of strength, the Power of the Spirit.
But we also learn that total commitment will involve the
total use of our mind and strength for him. To keep ourselves on the altar of
God when the fire comes will take all of our strength and all of our mind. In
our service for him we will need to dedicate our mind and strength to him so we
can be fully useful to him.
We cannot rely on our own intellect and strength, that is
true, but on the other hand God wants us to make our intellect and strength
totally available to him, so that as we walk in the power and will of God he
can release our abilities for his glory.
Inward parts and legsare dealt with differently.
(i) Washed with water = the water of the word of God, until
everything is cleansed. We can only keep our way pure if we walk according to his word.
Our natural desires and will are contrary to God and so
therefore are not acceptable to him on the altar without some extra
preparation. Before we can offer our heart and will to him it must be cleansed
by his word.
Once the will and desires are washed they too are placed on
the fire and burnt, they are tested by fire and consumed in God's service.
The fire:
Notice the little phrase, "He shall lay the wood in
order".
The fire comes from the wood, it is fuelled by it. God lays wood in order on the altar - he
knows how best to order the wood to get the most heat and produce the best
result.
The burnt offering is a barbecue grill - a slow roasting.
But what is wood?
Throughout typology wood speaks of humanity, people.
God arranges the fires in our lives by the combination of
people he brings across our paths. He knows how to get our goat, who will be
the right people to expose the weaknesses in our flesh.
But which wood is it? Is it any old people?
No, it is the wood on the altar of God at the tent of
meeting. It is our Christian brothers
and sisters who will be used most by God to purify us. They will give us more
aggro than any non-Christian can.
This is why we need to be committed to a local church - how
else can God purify us for his service, how else can he burn us up in his
service?
Washing then fire:
By the quickening of the Holy Spirit in the word we are
washed, then the word is worked out in our lives, in our nature, by fire.
The Blood:
Note: the wording about the blood is different.
·
Bird offering = drained.
·
Sheep = flung against the altar.
There is force here. Damage could be done.
Two things done with blood:
(i) Collected and presented to God as a wave offering.
Wave offering: something is held up before God as if to say,
"This is now yours", but it is then taken back, as if God says to us,
"Now I give it back to you".
I.e. here the worshiper offers his life to God, and God then
gives it back. But for what purpose?
(ii) Thrown about around the altar at the door of the tent
of meeting.
Hebrew - zara = throw, toss (not sprinkle).
God gives us our life back, but not for our own use. It is
to be poured out on the altar of God, at the tent of meeting, where God meets
with his people, for us, the church.
Position:
The ram is killed on the north side of the altar - north
speaking of where, in Jewish thought, the judgement of God came from.
The dealings of God in our lives are not always nice; they
are often painful at the time.
We have a small view of God. It seems to be Pentecostal
theology that when things go good God is blessing, when things go bad it must
be sin or the Devil. But it could be just God at work in our lives working all
things together for good. If we really believe God loves us and is in control
of our lives then we should praise him for the bad things also.
Law of burnt offering:
"fire never to go out" "all night until
morning"
Type of reconciliation of Christ that is available all night
until the coming of the Day.
Type of dealings of God in our lives - we can't escape them.
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