Leviticus 1:3 - Meaning and Application

If a man was rich enough to afford it, he would bring his burnt offering from his herd, from his larger cattle. The one who sees that God is the best Being of all will want to give God the best he has. If he gives God less, he does not give him the honor his name deserves.

So if a man decided to kill a bull, not for a meal with family and friends, but as a sacrifice to God, these rules had to be carefully followed. First, the animal had to be a male without blemish, the best one in his pasture. Since it was given only to honor the God who is perfectly good, it should be the best in its kind. This pointed to the full strength and purity of Christ, the dying sacrifice, and also to the sincerity and blameless life that should be in Christians, who are offered to God as living sacrifices. In a literal sense, in Christ Jesus there is no male or female distinction, and no natural defect in the body keeps us from being accepted by God. Only the moral defects and faults brought into the soul by sin do that.

Second, the owner had to offer it freely. Anything done in religion to please God must be done from love, not from outside pressure. God accepts willing people and cheerful givers. Ainsworth and others read the phrase differently, as describing the goal of the offering: “Let him offer it so that he may find favor before the Lord.” In other words, the worshiper should bring the sacrifice with this one aim, to be accepted by God. Only those who truly desire and intend that result in all their religious service will find acceptance (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Third, the offering had to be brought to the door of the tabernacle, where the bronze altar for burnt offerings stood, and nowhere else. He had to bring it to the door as someone who knew he was not worthy to enter, and who admitted that no sinner can come into covenant and fellowship with God except through sacrifice. Yet he also brought it to the tabernacle of meeting, showing that even this personal act joined him with the whole church of Israel.

Fourth, the worshiper had to lay his hand on the head of the offering (Leviticus 1:4). Jewish teachers said he should place both hands there with all his strength, between the animal’s horns. This showed, first, that he handed the animal over to God and gave up his own claim to it. Second, it showed that he admitted he deserved to die himself, and would have been willing to die if God had required it for his honor and favor. Third, it showed trust in the sacrifice as a set sign of the great sacrifice on whom the guilt of us all would be laid. Some think the apostle refers to this meaning in the doctrine of laying on of hands (Hebrews 6:2), which pointed to gospel faith. By laying his hand on the offering, the worshiper showed his hope that the sacrifice would be accepted in his place to make atonement for him. Burnt offerings were not tied to one specific sin like sin offerings were, but they still made atonement for sin in general. The worshiper was to confess that he had failed to do what he should have done and had done what he should not have done. Then he was to ask that, though he deserved death, the death of his sacrifice might be accepted to cover his guilt.

Fifth, the priests of Levi, the priestly tribe, were to kill the animal before the Lord, meaning in a serious, reverent way, with God’s honor in view. This showed that our Lord Jesus would give his life as an offering for sin. Messiah the prince had to be cut off as a sacrifice, but not for himself (Daniel 9:26). It also showed that Christians, who are living sacrifices, must put to death the lower part of their nature. The flesh, with its sinful desires and passions, must be crucified, along with the cravings of mere bodily life.

Sixth, the priests were to sprinkle the blood on the altar (Leviticus 1:5). Since the blood is the life, it was the blood that made atonement for the soul. This pointed to the way our Lord Jesus directly satisfied his Father’s justice and protected his injured honor by shedding his blood. He offered himself to God without spot. It also pointed to the quieting and cleansing of our consciences by faith in the sprinkled blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 10:22).

Seventh, the animal was to be skinned, cut up in an orderly way, and divided into its parts like a butcher would do. Then all the pieces, with the head and the fat, after the legs and inner parts had first been washed, were to be burned together on the altar (Leviticus 1:6-9). Some might ask why such a waste was allowed. Why should all that good meat, which could have fed poor families for a long time, be burned to ashes? But this was God’s will, and we have no right to argue with it. When it was burned for God’s honor, in obedience to his command, and to show spiritual truths, it was used better than if it had been food for people. Nothing given to God is ever truly wasted. The burning of the sacrifice pointed to the severe sufferings of Christ, and also to the devout love with which Christians must offer themselves, as a holy fire, in body, soul, and spirit to God.

Eighth, this offering is called a sweet smell, or a pleasing smell, to the Lord. Burning flesh is not pleasant in itself, but this offering pleased God because it was an act of obedience to his command and a picture of Christ. He was pleased with the offerer, and he himself took delight in that peace. He rested and was refreshed by these institutions of his grace, as he had been at creation with his work (Exodus 31:17), rejoicing in it (Psalm 104:31). Christ’s offering of himself to God is also called a sweet-smelling fragrance (Ephesians 5:2), and the spiritual sacrifices of Christians are said to be acceptable to God through Christ (1 Peter 2:5).