LEVITICUS 2


     We will begin this lesson in Leviticus 1:4 "And he shall put his
hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for
him to make atonement for him."

     When the person making the offering puts his hand on the animals
head, it is as if he is placing his sin on the animal. This is exactly
what happened when Jesus took our sin upon His body on the cross. In
both instances there is a substitute for the real sinner. Atonement is
an interesting word. It means [to cover]. It, also, means to cancel.
The difference in the animal's blood being shed for the sin of the
person and Jesus shedding His blood for our sin, is covered in these
meanings. The animal's blood can not do away with sin, it can only
cover sin. The sin is still there, just covered by the blood. There
can not be a clear conscience following. In the case of the blood of
Jesus, His blood cancels our sin out. There is no longer any sin and
we have a clear conscience toward God. Hebrews 10:4 "For [it is] not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."
Jesus took our sin upon His body on the cross that we might take His
righteousness on. The most beautiful statement in verse 4 above is [it
shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him]. Praise God, He
accepted the substitute, and there is no need for further sacrifice
for our sin. Jesus paid it all.

     Leviticus 1:5 "And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and
the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the
blood round about upon the altar that [is by] the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation."

     We look at the killing of this animal and realize it was
necessary to reconcile the person to God. Without the shedding of
blood there is no remission for sin. Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all
things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood
is no remission." The first step into salvation is repenting of sin.
Just inside the door of the tabernacle was the brazen altar. This
brazen altar was the altar symbolizing judgement, since it was made of
bronze. We must first realize we are guilty of sin and then ask
forgiveness for the sin on the way to God. The life is in the blood.
This blood must flow to bring us life. Leviticus 17:11 "For the life
of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood
[that] maketh an atonement for the soul." I John 1:7 "But if we walk
in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin."

     Leviticus 1:6 "And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it
into his pieces."

     Flay, in the verse above, means to spread out hostilely or to
strip. The entire burnt offering symbolized what the Father God does
to sin.  God the Father can not look upon sin, His wrath burns it up.
This is why, at one moment during the crucifixion, Jesus cried out to
the Father, Why hast thou forsaken Me? At the moment that Jesus
symbolically took the sin of the entire world upon His body, the
Father turned away. This shows God the Father can not look upon sin,
without totally burning it up. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for
sin at the shedding of His blood. From this day forward there was to
never be any more sacrificing in the world. Jesus' sacrifice was
sufficient for all time for every one. I believe this is why God
allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed, to stop the
sacrificing of animals.  Jesus was flayed for believers.

     Leviticus 1:7 "And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire
upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:"

     It appears that there was some special order for the wood that
was placed upon the altar. Perhaps, it was because this offering would
be totally burned up. Not even the high priest would eat of the meat
of this offering. This animal was to be totally consumed by the fire.

     Leviticus 1:8 "And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the
parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that [is] on the
fire which [is] upon the altar:"

     Again, here, we see that even the meat must be placed exactly in
order. The fat was for a sweet smelling savour to the Lord.

     Leviticus 1:9 "But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in
water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, [to be] a burnt
sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD."

     This washing just shows that God will not accept an unclean
offering. Ministers today could take a lesson from this. Of course,
this entire offering symbolizes Christ's sacrifice for us.

     Leviticus 1:10  "And if his offering [be] of the flocks,
[namely], of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he
shall bring it a male without blemish."


     The importance of this being a male, is because it symbolized the
offering Jesus made, and Jesus was of male gender in His flesh on the
earth. The lamb must be a male, young enough not to have been with a
female. It was to be without blemish. The very reason that Jesus' legs
were not broken on the cross was to fulfill the Scripture of having no
broken bones. John 19:36 "For these things were done, that the
scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."
Another Scripture shows the necessity of not breaking a bone of the
offering. Numbers 9:12 "They shall leave none of it unto the morning,
nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the
passover they shall keep it." This offering was to be burned
completely up. No one was to eat any of it. God the Father cannot look
upon sin; He will burn it up. This is the symbolism seen here. The
burnt sacrifice was sacrificed right inside the door of the outer
court of the tabernacle. The way to God is indicated by doing this.
The first step a person must make on the way to God. is realize they
are a sinner, and repent. When we do this, the next step is to
transfer our sin over to Jesus, by accepting Him as our perfect
sacrifice. It is no longer necessary to pay for our sin with our own
blood, He {Jesus} shed His blood for us. He became our substitute when
He took our sin upon His body on the cross and we took on His
righteousness on our body. The penalty for sin is death; praise God!
Jesus' body died that we might live.

     Leviticus 1:11 "And he shall kill it on the side of the altar
northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall
sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar."

     We must remember, from our Exodus teaching, that the priests
symbolize those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and
Lord. The high priest symbolized the pastor of the church. We also see
in this above a type and shadow that we can apply to our present day
church. The sinner brings the animal to the outer court and places his
hand upon the animal's head. He symbolically transfers his sins to the
animal in so doing. This is the very thing we have done when we
receive Jesus as our perfect sacrifice; we have transferred our sin to
Him, as we said before. In this Scripture above, it shows that
usually, the first dealing with a sinner is not done by the pastor of
the church, but by someone who is a believer in Jesus; a Christian.
This altar, here that is spoken of, is not in the holy of holies, it
is in the outer court. It is the bronze altar. Bronze means judgement.
The way to God, as we said before, is through repentance. This altar
comes before baptism. Aaron's sons ministered in the outer court. They
put the blood on this altar of judgement, and the blood of the animal
makes the person acceptable to God. Lay Christians bring prospects for
the Christian faith to the church and then the minister preaches
salvation to them. The sheep {believers in Christ] produce sheep. The
pastor {shepherd} leads, guides, and feeds them after they come.


     In this lesson we have repeated ourselves quite a bit, but we
must thoroughly understand these symbols before we go on.  One of the
most important lessons that we are to see in this, is that God Himself
set up these sacrifices. This was the way for sinful man to approach
The Holy God. In the garden of Eden, after the sin of Adam and Eve,
God sacrificed an animal and made garments for them out of the hide.
In the burnt offering above, the only thing that was not completely
burned up was the hide of the animal, which was given to the priest.
Cain and Abel were a very good example that to be able to approach
God, blood must be shed. Cain's offering was unacceptable, because no
blood was shed. I could go on and on, but I am sure you see the
significance of the shedding of blood. Please keep in mind the types
and shadows as we see Jesus in all the sacrifices and offerings.  The
person killing this sacrifice was admitting his sin.





                             Questions 2

1.  Who was to kill the offering for the burnt offering?
2.  Where did he place his hand before he killed the animal?
3.  What did this symbolize?
4.  How does this resemble what Jesus did for us on the cross?
5.  What 2 meanings does atonement have?
6.  What difference is there between, what Jesus did for us when He
    shed His blood for us, and the blood shed of the animal?
7.  What does Hebrews chapter 10 verse 4 tell us about animal's blood?
8.  What does the author believe is the most beautiful statement in
    Leviticus chapter 1 verse 4?
9.  Who sprinkles the blood on the altar in verse 5?
10. Where is the altar located that the burnt offering is made on?
11. Why was it necessary to kill the animal?
12. Without the ________ of ______ there is no remission of sin.
13. What is the first step we must take for salvation?
14. What did the brazen altar symbolize?
15. The life of the flesh is in the _____.
16. In 1 John chapter 1 verse 7, we read that what cleanseth us from
    all unrighteousness?
17. What does the word flay mean in this lesson today?
18. God the Father cannot look upon sin, He will ____ __ __.
19. Why did Jesus cry out from the cross {Why hast thou forsaken me?}?
20. Why does the author believe God allowed the temple in Jerusalem to
    be destroyed?
21. Who was to put the fire upon the altar?
22. What was the fat of the animal to the Lord?
23. What does the washing of the legs and inward parts of the animal
    teach us about our offerings today?
24. Why is it important for this animal to be a male?
25. What is the penalty for sin?
26. Who are the priests symbolic of?
27. Who is usually the first contact with a sinner?
28. If the sinner is brought to the church by the believers, what is
    the job of the pastor?
29. Who set up sacrifices?
30. What were their purpose?
31. Give the first example in the Bible of animal sacrifice?
32. What is the only thing the high priest keeps of the burnt
    offering?