By Rev. Michael Mwangi
Senior Pastor, Fedha Church KAG
The main theme of holiness divides into two sections –
Leviticus chapter 1 to chapter 16
1. The first dealing with worship, (before a holy God)
Leviticus 1-7 tells us why we need a sacrifice. Lev 8-10 tells us why we need a priest.
2. Leviticus chapter 17 to chapter 27- second section is about the walk with God. It speaks of having a fellowship and a relationship with God. In other words, it's about worship and witness
Leviticus 1-7 deals with the sacrificial offerings.
Leviticus 1 is titled – The Burnt Offerings. Leviticus 2 is titled – The Grain Offerings. Leviticus 3 is titled – The Peace Offerings. Leviticus 4 is titled – The Sin Offerings. Leviticus 5 is titled – The Trespass Offerings.
And then Leviticus 6 and 7 speak directly to the priests concerning the details of each of those five offerings.
Leviticus 1 – The Burnt Offerings
The burnt offering was the foundation of the Levitical sacrificial system. Israel was to offer burnt offerings to the Lord every morning and every evening. This offering was unique. The first three of these offerings were very unique and distinct.
This offering, the first of them, was unique in that the entire animal was to be consumed on the altar.
- No portion of it was to remain.
- No portion of it was to be eaten by the priest.
- No portion of it was to be eaten by the person bringing the sacrifice.
This offering speaks to you and me concerning our worship of us offering ourselves completely to God, putting our lives into His hands, saying, “Lord, it’s all yours. I don’t want anything left.”
It is totally surrendering ourselves to God without any reservation giving him all we are.
This offering was a freewill offering. It was not mandatory. It was brought out of your own desire. And it was offered in its entirety to the Lord.
And that speaks to you and me – it speaks of us gladly bringing our lives to the Lord, and offering our lives to the Lord completely.
Romans 12: 1 “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual [reasonable] worship.”
This ensures we surrender to his will and die to our will such that we live for his glory and not for our glory.
This is why this sacrifice was the foundation of all other sacrifices.
God’s first interest is not what you do OR WHAT YOU GIVE. His first interest is you. The burnt offering comes down to one thing. It’s you and I saying, I am all yours for real worship.
Matthew 6:21- If God doesn’t own your heart neither can he own your treasure. If He does not own your heart you can be doing a million things in the name of God. And at the end of the day, in the New Testament, it would be referred to as just “wood, hay and stubble.” Because you can never give the very best or do it out of pure motive unless you have yielded to him 100%.
All that we are poured out to Jesus and for Jesus’ glory – that’s the picture of the burnt offering.
If God doesn't own us fully and if we have not given ourselves fully to him it is impossible to fulfil the supreme commandment.
Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and strength.
We all love God but our greatest struggle is loving him with ALL. There is always a part of us reserve for ourselves that is not given to him.
True worship requires that we give ourselves fully to him by offering our bodies to Him to serve him not us or others.
Galatians 2:20- I no longer live but Christ, lives in me, the life I live in the body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Honour God with your body.
Our bodies are only to serve in what glorifies God, not our carnal desires.
Romans 6:13- Do not present members of your body to sin.
Our bodies and thus our lives must be totally be yielded to God and not partially.
The burnt sacrifice was offered every morning and evening meaning it was a daily sacrifice and that’s the same thing we need to do offering our bodies as a living sacrifice by crucifying the flesh daily.
Gal 5:16-17
Galatians 5:24- Crucify the flesh with its passions.
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