The Five Offerings Of Leviticus Part 3 of 10: Dove Offering

Leviticus 1:14-17
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 unto 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 cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.”
–

 

–
The poorest of Israel brought a pair of turtle doves or young pigeons because that’s all they could afford.  Unlike those who brought sheep, goats, or bullocks, the bird was not cut into pieces nor it’s entrails washed with water.  They are simply too small.  The Priest simply twisted off its head poured its blood out at one side of the altar.
–
What does it all mean?

–

–
Typology Of Believers.

Doves represent innocence.  If you’ve ever heard one, they have a mournful cry.  In fact, they are often called, “Mourning doves.”  As such, they depict believers who are essentially “Mourning innocents.”  

–

This offering of birds is a picture of how some Christians see the Lord.  Ever see pictures of Jesus where He appears sad, pale, weak, and anemic, as if He’s never been outside in the sun like in the above picture?  That is how many see Him: As a “mourning Innocent.”

–

That is not an accurate picture of Him, is it?  No!  Our Jesus was a carpenter in a day and age where they didn’t have power tools.  It was a profession which required a great deal of physical strength and stamina, especially back then.  Far from being a pale, skinny weakling, His muscles had muscles! 😮😁

–

In the case of these Christians, it is The priest who took the dove from the worshiper.  The priest twisted off its head.  The priest poured its blood out “at the side of the altar.”  He didn’t pour the blood around it on all sides because they are just too small and don’t have very much blood in their tiny bodies.  Then, the priest burned it on the altar and The priest plucked out it’s crop and feathers.
–
Are you sensing a pattern here?  Of all three offerings, this one is completely handled without the worshiper’s participation, except for it being brought to him by the person for whom it was offered.  This typifies Churches and denominations where the priest does pretty much everything.  He acts as their intermediary, their intercessor, and he absolves them of the sins they confess to him.  Like the dove, they are “mourning innocents.” 

–

These Christians have a very small revelation of Jesus.  They have little knowledge, understanding, or appreciation of His shed blood as compared to someone who has, say, a “Bullock” revelation.  They don’t understand that ALL THEIR SINS are cleansed for their entire lives until the day they see Jesus face to face.  They see Him like a bird:  Someone who came down from heaven. 🕊 

–

–
The Meaning Of The Altar.

“Altar” depicts God’s claims on sinful man.  The blood being poured out in only one place typifies that these folks don’t believe that the blood avails for all of those claims of God on man, but offers only partial forgiveness; good reason for all the “Mourning.”

–

They know their sins are forgiven from birth to the moment of conversion, but they believe they must confess as they go to be forgiven of sins committed afterward in order to get right with God again.  This is not true, mind you, it is simply their perception.  Your sins are cleansed for your entire life 🙌🏻💖 

–

These believers share the same misconception as Simon the Pharisee.  To read all about his story, you may follow the link below:

–

Church, God doesn’t live in your time zone.  He is outside of time.  Everything to Him is “Now.”  He knows nothing of past or future.  It is all the same to Him.  Those are terms we use because we are not outside time.  That’s why when God says, “All your sins are forgiven,” He means from your birth to the day you meet Jesus face to face.

–

Doves are also very fearful, fragile, and shy creatures.  Like the dove, these believers are actually afraid of God.  Timid in their approach to Him, they see Him as standing over them (possibly with a big stick?), ready to smack them down for the least little infraction.  Sound like anyone you know?  Yep, they’re everywhere. 😓

–

–

 

Understand, this has NO BEARING whatsoever on the their acceptance before God. This person is just as precious and acceptable to God as the one who offered a bullock.  It simply represents the lowest form of the understanding of redemption.
–

HOWEVER:  It does affect their journey though life.  The smaller your revelation of the efficacy of the blood of Christ, the less you can receive from God. 😓 You cannot enjoy all the blessings God wants to bestow because of your little understanding of Him.

–

This affects their walk; not their standing.  ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH BE IT DONE UNTO YOU…..or the lack thereof.

–
Isn’t God Good!  No matter how great or small our understanding or view of Him, we can come to Him just as we are as long as we come bringing our Burnt Offering:  JESUS.  He is our “Radzon;” our acceptance before the Father!
–
You may proceed to part 4 by following the link below.  We’ll be discussing the sheep and goat offerings.

–