The Five Offerings Of Leviticus: Part 1 of 10 – Introduction

Exodus 20:22-24

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold YOU shall not make for yourselves. AN ALTAR OF EARTH you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.”

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First Command.
God’s first command to the Israelites to offer burnt offerings is recorded here in this passage from Exodus.  However, it is in the book of laws, Leviticus, where the ordinances concerning sacrifices and offerings are described in the greatest detail.

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Why was this system instituted in the first place?  Because the Israelites had foolishly bragged, “All that You command, we can do it.”  That’s quite a boast! 😲 Without even seeing the terms of the “Contract,” they’re saying they could keep the law?  Far beyond foolishness, it was madness! So, God gave them the Ten Commandments in response to their boast, knowing full well that there was NO WAY THEY COULD OBEY THEM.  The problem was, they didn’t know it. 😓

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This should come as no surprise since the law was not given for us to try and keep in order to be made right with God. Paul spells it out quite clearly in Romans 3:20:  “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
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No one, of course, is in favor of lawLESSness.  Certainly not.  But understand this:  The Law was given so that we would see the futility of trying to obey it.  THAT IT DOES VERY WELL.  God wants you and I to come to the end of ourselves and CRY OUT FOR HELP TO JESUS.

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There were five different kinds of sacrifices, all to describe that one, beautiful work of Jesus on the cross.  Not coincidentally, they are recorded in the first five chapters of the book of Leviticus, followed by all the laws concerning each sacrifice.   Five, in case you didn’t know, is the number of Grace! 💖

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(For more on the subject of the meaning of numbers in the Bible, you may follow the link below to a short series on that topic; very revealing!:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2020/07/02/numbers-have-meaning/)

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When we first come to God, we approach Him in our trespasses and sins; in other words, via the “Sin and trespass offerings,” opposite from God Who is without sin.  That’s why, in the order of His book, however, God puts them last.

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All we really understand about Him in the beginning is that we are sinners saved by grace, and that’s ok.  But it’s not ok to stay there.  God expects us to mature; to grow in grace and in the knowledge of His Son; to know and understand all five.  In time, we must grow beyond merely understanding what has become of our sins because of the cross, as wonderful as that is, to understanding that we have peace with God; that the war between Him and us who are saved is over.  We are now hid with Christ in God and have become the righteousness of God in Christ as represented by the Burnt Offering.

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You see, if all you understand is that your sins are forgiven, you haven’t grown spiritually. The more you understand, the clearer picture you have of Jesus, and the more deeply you fall in love with Him.  That’s how you grow and are transformed from glory to glory:  By beholding Him!

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There is one law which, surprisingly, is found ONLY IN THE BOOK OF NUMBERS, not Leviticus, the book of laws.  It is known as, “The Ashes of the Red Heifer.” The Holy Spirit, as usual, has a very good reason for only putting that law in that particular book which, by the way, totally baffled King Solomon.  Incredibly, even with all the great wisdom God gave him, he deeply regretted that he was not able to decipher it.  That means if you get it, you are smarter than him! 😮

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In all fairness, though, he didn’t have the key to unlock the mystery…but you and I do! 😉 You may follow the link below to read all about this (formerly) cryptic law, but I warn you: It’s in 9 parts:

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These are the 5 offerings of Leviticus listed in the order God placed them in the Bible:

#1. Burnt offering: Ch. 1

#2. Grain offering: Ch. 2

#3. Peace offering: Ch. 3

#4. Sin offering: Ch. 4

#5. Trespass offering: Ch. 5

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The chapters immediately following contain all the laws pertaining to each of the offerings.  The first three offerings are called, “Ascending offerings.” They were a sweet smelling aroma to the LORD.  The last two: “The sin and trespass offerings,” however, are not a sweet aroma because they contain dung, which depicts our sins.
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In parts two, three and four we’ll be talking about the Burnt Offering, because God mentions it first.  So, since it is most important to Him, we’ll them study according to His order, even though we approach God from the opposite direction:  Via the “sin offering.”

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So, Church, let’s crack open those stuck-together pages of your Bibles and let’s study these wonderful chapters!
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You may proceed to Part 2 by following the link below: