For those who are used to the sprawling introductions throughout the New Testament, Leviticus can be a bit jarring. The book hits the ground running; within a few verses, the Israelites are told about one of the core principles of the Judaistic system: the burnt offerings.
These are exactly what most people think of when they think of the Old Law. The system of offerings—freewill, grain, burnt, and wave offerings, among others—are how the people respond to God. If they sin, there’s a sacrifice. If they’re thankful, there’s a sacrifice. If there’s a holiday, there’s a sacrifice. They’re literally on every page.
Burnt offerings are the first ones introduced in the book of Leviticus because they’re the whole purpose of the Tabernacle. If God can’t dwell with His people because of sin, then burnt offerings are how the people plead to God for the forgiveness of their sins.
In a way, the burnt offerings follow in a perfect line after the book of Exodus. The last several chapters of Exodus talk about the construction of the Tabernacle, so Leviticus picks up with how to actually use the Tabernacle. It’s going to be a place of violence—because of the sacrifices—but it’s also going to be a place of reconciliation.
The idea of “sacrifice” is one that we will talk about throughout the rest of the entire Old Testament, but the most important point is mentioned here in Leviticus 1. The very first qualification that Moses mentions for any burnt offering is that it is a “male without defect.”
Male animals generally cost more than their female counterparts (Leviticus 27:1-4), but both are required at different times. If a “leader” sins, he brings a male; if a layman sins, they can bring a female (Leviticus 4:22, 27). Those two verses talk about unintentional sins, but the fact remains that both are used.
The “without defect” part is the real issue here, though. Every sacrifice must be of the highest quality that individual possesses—not because God is greedy, but because sacrifices should be exactly that…a sacrifice. It should be something that hurts to give up.
David understood this concept. When he atones for his sin in taking the census, he goes to the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah offers it to David for free, but David refuses, saying that he “will not give to the Lord that which cost him nothing.”
What does that say about the state of our sacrifices? Are giving God the leftovers or are we giving Him our best? Is service to Him a sacrifice, or is it done on our timetable when it’s convenient for us?
