Bible Commentary


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1 And the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,

2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, If any man of you bring an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.

4 And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

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 on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

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

7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire:

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

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 smell to the LORD.

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.

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 on the altar.

12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar:

13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it on the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet smell to the LORD.

14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:

16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:

17 And he shall split it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet smell to the LORD.


burnt-sacrifice

The burnt-offering

(1) typifies Christ offering Himself without spot to God in delight to do His Father’s will even in death.

(2) it is atoning because the believer has not had this delight in the will of God; and

(3) substitutionary ( Lev 1:4) because Christ did it in the sinner’s stead. But the thought of penalty is not prominent.; Heb 9:11-14; Heb 10:5-7; Psa 40:6-8; Php 2:8. The emphatic words Lev 1:3-5 are "burnt-sacrifice," "voluntary," "it shall be accepted for him," and "atonement." The creatures acceptable for sacrifice are five:

(1) The bullock, or ox, typifies Christ as the patient and enduring Servant 1Co 9:9; 1Co 9:10; Heb 12:2; Heb 12:3 "obedient unto death"; Isa 52:13-15; Php 2:5-8. His offering in this character is substitutionary, for this we have not been.

(2) The sheep, or lamb, typifies Christ in unresisting self-surrender to the death of the cross Isa 53:7; Act 8:32-35.

(3) The goat typifies the sinner Mat 25:33 and, when used sacrificially, Christ, as "numbered with the transgressors"; Isa 53:12; Luk 23:33 and "made sin," and "a curse"; Gal 3:13; 2Co 5:21 as the sinner’s substitute.

(4,5) The turtle-dove or pigeon. Naturally a symbol of mourning innocency Isa 38:14; Isa 59:11; Mat 23:37; Heb 7:26 is associated with poverty in Lev 5:7 and speaks of Him who for our sakes become poor Luk 9:58 and whose pathway of poverty which began with laying aside "the form of God," ended in the sacrifice through which we became rich; 2Co 8:9; Php 2:6-8. The sacrifice of the poor Man becomes the poor man’s sacrifice. Luk 2:24. These grades of typical sacrifice test the measure of our apprehension of the varied aspects of Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross. The mature believer should see Christ crucified in all these aspects.

put his hand upon

The laying of the offerer’s hand signified acceptance and identification if himself with his offering. In type it answered to the believer’s faith accepting and identifying himself with Christ Rom 4:5; Rom 6:3-11. The believer is justified by faith, and his faith is reckoned for righteousness, because his faith identifies him with Christ, who died as his sin-offering; 2Co 5:21; 1Pe 2:24.

atonement (See Scofield " Exo 29:33").

Fire. Essentially as symbol of God’s holiness. As such it expresses God in three ways:

(1) In judgment upon that which His holiness utterly condemns (e.g.) Gen 19:24; Mar 9:43-48; Rev 20:15.

(2) in the manifestation of Himself, and of that which He approves Exo 3:2; 1Pe 1:7; Exo 13:21

and (3) in purification (e.g) 1Co 3:12-14; Mal 3:2; Mal 3:3. So, in Leviticus, the fire which only manifests the sweet savour of the burnt-, meal-, and peace- offerings, wholly consumes the sin-offering.

fat That which burns most quickly -- devotedness, zeal.

sweet savour

The sweet savour offerings are so called because they typify Christ in His own perfections, and in His affectionate devotion to the Father’s will. The non-sweet savour offerings typify Christ as bearing the whole demerit of the sinner. Both are substantial. In our place Christ, in the burnt-offering, makes good our lack of devotedness, and, in the sin- and trespass-offerings, suffers because of our disobediences.