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God's View of the Cross, and Ours
This wonderful subject is a picture to us believers of our approach to God—of worshipping God. From it we learn that worship of God must be according to the Word of God, and no other way. We hear people say, "Go the church of your choice." But the Word of God never gives the believer a choice of ways of worshipping Him. God has one way—the perfect way, Psalm 18:30. Doctrinal evil is the teaching of what is contrary to by God's Word—an offense to the Lord Jesus Christ. Ecclesiastical evil is the way worship is carried out which is contrary to God's Word—an offense to the Holy Spirit.
Christ's perfect life and His suffering and death on the cross fulfilled all the meanings of these offerings.
In His wisdom, God has given us 172 verses in Leviticus, chapters 1-7, to spell out in great detail how each offering was to be carried out. It is evident that God wishes us to be thoroughly acquainted with the separate meanings of the offerings. Sad to say, many of us are satisfied with understanding only the "sin offering," (and thinking of it as Christ's death for our sins only for salvation). But it forms part of the last group of the offerings. The offerings are divided into two main groups:
1. The "sweet savor" (sweet-smelling) offerings, which were the "burnt offering," the "meal (or meat) offering," and the "peace offering." These three were voluntarily presented by the people to God. They were like offering praise (or thanks or worship) to God. They had nothing to do with sin. There was no offense to God involved.
2. The "sin offering" and the "trespass offering." These were required by God from the person who had sinned against Him. (All sin is against God—Psalm 51:4). That person needed to be restored to the position of a worshipper. Neither can we believers today truly worship God when we are disobedient to His Word (John 4:24).
In "the offerings," the blood was poured out on the ground—it was never to be eaten. The blood was the life of the flesh, and God claimed that for Himself. Neither was the fat of the sacrifice to be eaten. It was a picture of the inward and total perfection of Christ for God. (Psalm 40:7-8.)
The Burnt Offering
Leviticus, chapter 1 tells us about the "burnt offering," and in chapter 6, verses 8-13, the priests were given added instructions. The “burnt offering” is a picture, or type, of Christ presenting Himself in His death as a perfect and willing sacrifice to God in this world, where sin is.
This animal sacrifice was completely burnt (except the skin, chapter 7:8). We need always to remember that Christ, first of all, came to die for God and for His glory. This "burnt offering" was a sweet smell to God, for it pointed on to the time when Christ would die on the cross.
In the New Testament we see the "burnt offering" view of the cross in such Scriptures as Philippians 2:8, John 10:17-18, John 17:4, and Hebrews 10:7. God now finds His delight in Christ, so the "burnt offering" is God's side of the death of Christ. It comes first in order, thus showing its importance. John's Gospel gives us the "burnt offering" view of the cross.
The Meal (or “Meat”) Offering
Leviticus, chapter two tells us about the "meat offering," and in chapter 6, verses 14-23, the priests were given added instructions. In this offering to God, there was no animal sacrificed, no blood-shedding. The offerer brought to the priest some fine, smooth flour. It is a type (a picture) of Christ in His perfect even life on earth as a Man. He lived those approximately 33 years to the glory of His Father in heaven. Read John 17:1 and 4, and Matthew 17:5.
From Leviticus 6:14-23, we learn that the flour was poured onto the fire on the altar to God. The Lord's life had to be perfect in order to be the perfect sacrifice. The fire (the sufferings of the cross) consumed the flour. Christ's death proved the perfection of His total devotion to God. Each of the four gospels tells us of His perfect life.
The Peace Offering
We turn now to Leviticus chapter 3 to learn about the "peace offering," and to chapter 7, verses 11 to 34 to see how it was carried out. The offering was brought to the altar at the tabernacle, not for man to get peace with God (not to make atonement for sins), but rather because he had been brought into this blessing. There were four parts to the offering:
1. The fat, Leviticus 3:14-16. This was God's food only. The delight He had in Christ (Matthew 3:17).
2. The breast of the animal sacrificed, Leviticus 7:31. This was for Aaron and his sons. Remember that Aaron is a picture of Christ, and his sons a picture of us as believers. Together, Aaron and his sons are a picture of all believers as seen in Christ. Christ has His joy in the work which He accomplished on the cross. The breast is a picture of love, 1 John 4:19.
3. The right shoulder (strength), Leviticus 7:32-33, was for the priest who offered the sacrifice. See also Leviticus 10:14-15. This is a picture of Christ in His strength and our security in Him.
4. The offerer and all his friends who were clean could eat the rest of the sacrifice, Leviticus 7:19. For us today it is a beautiful picture of our fellowship, our intimate sharing, with God the delight He now has as to what Christ has done for God—not merely what Christ has done for us. We can have the same thoughts about Christ as God has, and we can all enjoy these thoughts with other believers who are clean.
Are we allowing things in our lives which hinder these joys? Let us exalt Christ together. The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is a lovely picture of this peace offering—the father being a picture of God our Father, the prodigal son being a picture of us, and the fatted calf being a picture of Christ. The father and the restored prodigal son sat down at the same table and enjoyed the fatted calf together. We believers now enjoy with God our Father the delight He has in His Son. Luke's Gospel presents to us the "peace offering." Many chapters mention eating, or a table.
In these three sweet smelling “sweet savor” offerings, the offerer came as a worshipper.
Sin and Trespass Offerings
Leviticus, chapters 4, 5, and 6:1-7, tell us about these two offerings, and chapter 6 from verse 25 to chapter 7:7, tell us of how they were carried out. These two offerings were quite different from the previous three.
Israel, surrounding the tabernacle or temple, is always to be viewed as one group of redeemed people through the blood of the lamb in Egypt. The person in these chapters had sinned, had done so "through ignorance." But God, in mercy, had provided a way to correct this for him—the “sin” and "trespass" offerings. They are not a picture of salvation from our sins.
Now let us see how this helps us. Firstly, we must realize that when we accepted Christ as Savior, we became children of God, a part of the Church of God, "the one body." We may benefit from looking at the "sin offering" and "trespass offering" from the believer's standpoint, not as a sinner needing salvation—keeping in mind that ignorance of sin is never an excuse for sin, Leviticus 5:17.
We believers are defiled by sin, whether conscious of it or not. But if we do sin, though we don't need to be saved again, yet we are never going to be happy until we have recognized the fact that we have sinned against our God and need restoration to Him. The blood of Christ, once shed (poured out) for the sinner, is also the basis of restoration (1 John 1:7). But the water of the Word is our means of being maintained in communion with God, and it cleanses us from the soiling brought about by sins (Ephesians 5:26).
In the Old Testament there was no provision made for willful sin (Hebrews 2:2 and 10:26). But though there is provision in the New Testament, it is a dreadful thing for the believer to knowingly and willfully persist in sin (and we should not try to give such a person assurance of his salvation.). A bad conscience and assurance of salvation do not belong together.
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark present to us, in a remarkable way, the fulfillment of the "sin offering" and "trespass offering." Only in these Gospels do we have the words "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" May we realize more fully the cost of sin to our Lord Jesus, and the frightful misery it always brings into the believer's life.
In Leviticus, chapter 4, the more important the position a person had, the more serious was the sin which he had committed. So it is with the believer today; the more he knows the Scriptures, the more responsible he is. Numbers, chapters 28 and 29 (a total of 71 verses), give us many sweet thoughts on the "offerings." But notice, that while the "sin offering" occupies 13 verses, there are 58 verses occupied with the "sweet smelling savor offerings" (God's delight in Christ)!
Every believer in the Lord Jesus is a priest before God (1 Peter 2:5). We are asked to present our bodies a living sacrifice (Old Testament sacrifices were dead) to God, Romans 12:1. We are a holy priesthood. When we live this truth (Hebrews 13:15-16), then we will be enjoying the many-sided views of the wonderful work which Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary. God will be honored, and we will be enriched.
N. Berry
(This edition has been slightly edited. For further study of this wonderful subject, see Christ as Seen in the Offerings by R. F, Kingscote, BTP #1233.)