Word of Salvation – April 2025
A Burnt Offering That Really Satisfies
Sermon by Rev. Andrew De Vries on Leviticus 1
Scripture reading: Leviticus 1
One of the things we have discovered as a married couple, is that we are able to use biblical language when I cook. After a rather unsuccessful day on the BBQ, my cooking may have been referred to, at times, as a burnt offering. But now I’ve done a bit of study on burnt offerings, I can say that I have never cooked a burnt offering. Because although there may have been some slightly charred meat products coming off my hotplate – that is not a burnt offering. The burnt offering described in Leviticus, that we just read, refers to something that is completely consumed. There’s nothing left of it – the whole thing literally goes up in smoke.
The Hebrew word for this offering is ‘olah’. The Greek word is holokauston. It’s where we get the word holocaust from. The word means to be ‘burnt entirely’. So given the usage of the word, it is little wonder it has negative connotations. But what we discover in our text, is that the burnt offering is entirely positive. It is in fact called an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Not just once, but three times! So this is not something bad, or yucky, or harmful. It’s something that delights the heart of God. We’ll talk about that later.
Now, you might be wondering why we are in the book of Leviticus. It’s not really the most popular book to preach on. In fact, if you read straight through the Bible, you get through Genesis OK, then Exodus gets a bit hard toward the end, but once you enter Leviticus, you’re a good chance of skipping straight over to Deuteronomy. And Leviticus is hardly an inspiring title for a book. It means pertaining to the Levites. When we read this book we can see that we’re in a world that is completely foreign to ours with a whole lot of unusual rules about holiness and practices we find hard to understand. Why are we studying Leviticus?
Well, aside from the fact that all scripture is God breathed and therefore profitable to us. It’s important that we understand Leviticus if we are to appreciate the gospel. Because if you want to get a deeper and more profound understanding of the work of Jesus in his death and resurrection, Leviticus can help with that.
The argument of the author of Hebrews is that Jesus is better than all the OT stuff – the priesthood, the tabernacle, the sacrifices. But you can’t understand that Jesus is better if you don’t understand these things. If I said that Netflix is far better than a VHS cassette tape. You need to know what a VHS cassette tape is to appreciate the comparison. Kids, you can ask your parents about that later. And if you want to know how great a sacrifice Jesus makes, it will help you if you understand the burnt offering.
There are 5 offerings described in the first chapters of Leviticus. The first three are voluntary offerings, and the next two are compulsory when a certain violation occurs. And each sacrifice speak of a different facet of the work of Christ. In some ways the burnt offering is the most important. It’s first in the book of Leviticus. It’s the offering that was given morning and night every day at the tabernacle and later at the temple. It was the most important offering on feast days. As we look at this offering, I hope it will enthuse you, and whet your appetite for a little bit more of Leviticus. [You might say I’ve got high hopes, we’ll see!]
Firstly, the burnt offering shows us how gracious the Lord is
We read Leviticus and in some way we are put off by the fact it reads like legislation. If we wanted to read legislation we would have become politicians. But for your Israelite, this would not have driven them away, it would have drawn them in. These words would have been music to their ears. Because these first chapters of Leviticus were not for the priests to give them a detailed job description, they were not for theologians to delve into the technicalities of the various offerings. These words were for your average Joe/Jane Israelite. Have a look at Verse 2: ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: ‘when any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.’ It’s not until Lev.6:8 that Moses starts giving instructions for the priests. This was for the average Israelite, and they would have lapped these words up and delighted in them.
That’s because the book of Leviticus is part of a larger story, especially the story told in Exodus. There we read how the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt by the mighty hand of God. They were redeemed by the Lord.
And then the Lord brings them to Sinai and tells them that they are going to be his own special people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. And there he enters into a covenant with them as there King. And he gives them laws to follow in Exodus 20- to 24. And this would have been enough for them to rejoice and delight in the Lord their God all the days of their life. But the best was yet to come. Because there’s another 16 chapters in Exodus. It’s the best until last – do you remember what the main subject of those chapters was? The Tabernacle. The Lord wasn’t just their great Redeemer King, he was the King who would come and dwell among them. He wasn’t interested in some long distance relationship, but was going to be intimately present with his people.
But that created a big problem. This gracious Lord, who loved and redeemed his people, had now come to live in their midst. Good news. But how is it possible for the holy and pure king of the Universe, to dwell among a sinful and impure people. Holiness is one of the key themes of the book of Leviticus. The word holy/holiness occur 87 times. God is holy, and he must have a holy people. And therein lies the great dilemma. Every Israelite would be asking the same question: ‘How can the holy God live with us, without his holiness consuming and destroying us?’
We could say, how can a lion be housed with the lamb. How can a hand stay in the flames and not be burned. How can the holy dwell with the unholy. One commentator put it like this: “The most important question that anyone can ask is: how can an impure, sinful, and mortal creature such as myself find access into the presence and the favor of God — both now and in the world to come?” Here is the answer to the question. It’s in the sacrifices that the Lord provided in Leviticus. And every Israelite would be hearing Moses words and delighting in them.
Verse 4 tells us the purpose of the burnt offering. It is to make atonement for the Israelite sinner. Atonement is the restoring of a relationship – to make at one again when the relationship has been broken. ‘At-one-ment.’ The holy God, can’t be ‘at one’ with an unholy people, unless his anger against them is turned away. The holy God can’t be at one with an unholy people, unless they are cleansed of their sin. There’s no way we can be acceptable before God, unless he makes a provision for us.
The problem most people have, and the delusion that lies deep in all our hearts, is that we think we are pretty much acceptable to God as we are. But how can we be acceptable to him when we don’t regard Jesus Christ as he does.
That’s a really simple test to reveal our unholiness. What is the attitude of our hearts to Jesus Christ? Mention the word Jesus Christ to the unbeliever at work or university. What reaction do you get? Indifference. Hostility perhaps. That’s proof of unholiness. Or mention the name of Jesus Christ to the Christian. Do you have unceasing adoration and pure delight and joy welling in your heart. Do you have a desire to offer all that you are to Him and bow the whole of your life before him when you hear that name, Jesus? You don’t? That’s because even though we are forgiven, there are pockets of unholiness in our hearts. And any hint of unholiness makes a person totally unacceptable to God and unfit to come into his presence. And the glory of the book of Leviticus, the glory of the gospel, is that God provides a way for the unholy to be acceptable before him. The sacrifice of burnt offering.
Now, you might be thinking. Andrew, I’m not sure you’ve paid much attention to Leviticus 1. Because God doesn’t provide the sacrifice, the Israelite brings it. How is this about God being gracious, because it’s the Israelite bringing the animal sacrifice? They have a costly gift, and that’s how they get acceptance with God. But that’s the pagan view of sacrifice. You bring something to your God to work your way into his good books. Bring something to your God, and he owes you. This view of God is very popular in the church today. You sow a seed for God, or you offer him some of your time, or you do the right thing – that’s your sacrifice. And then God owes you something – he owes you a nice high paying job, or he needs to make your debt disappear, or he must heal you from whatever troubles you because hey, you’ve made a sacrifice. That’s pagan religion. But that’s not biblical religion.
The sacrificial system was not something an Israelite could use to coerce some favour out of God. The sacrificial system was first and foremost God’s gift to Israel. It was something he gave them in his grace, as a means of showing how sin can be atoned for. Leviticus 17:11 says, ‘The life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.’
The sacrificial victim wasn’t something you provided for God, it was something God had provided in his grace, for a desperately needy people. To make atonement, so that we can enjoy relationship with the holy God.
And we see just how lavish God’s grace is in the variety of burnt offerings he sanctioned for his people. The burnt offering could be selected from the herd, (vs.3); or the flock (vs.10), or it could even be a bird, (vs14). So every socio-economic group was able to bring a burnt offering. If you were rich, you brought your bull. If you were middle class and couldn’t afford that you brought your sheep. And if you were dirt poor, there was still a burnt offering you could bring – a bird. Perhaps you recall that this is the sacrifice Jesus’ parents made when they presented Jesus at the temple (Luke 2:24). This made sure no-one was excluded from being accepted by God. It’s not nice to be excluded: Kids from adult conversation – go to bed. To be excluded from a party invite – when everyone else is going. But here is grace. Whosoever wants to come, can come to God through this sacrifice. Because God provides a burnt offering that doesn’t exclude you based on age, income, or skill level. All are able to find acceptance before God through a burnt offering. See how gracious he is.
So the burnt offering shows us how gracious the Lord is, but it also shows us how demanding the Lord is
The Lord sets the bar extremely high for what he’ll accept as a sacrifice. What sacrifice is good enough to atone for sin? Well, in the words of a modern day poet: ‘It’s got to be perfect, it’s got to be worth it, Too many people take second best. But I won’t take anything less. It’s got to be, perfect.’ [Fairground attraction.] That’s why it had to be an animal without blemish. It had to be an animal in peak condition. God knew the human heart. He knew what we’d be thinking – got to make an offering, well, there is that bull that is a bit crazy and nearing the end of it’s life. I’ll give that. No, the sacrifice must be without blemish.
And a male animal without defect was a valuable animal in that society. This was not just perfect sacrifice, but costly sacrifice. This hurt the hip pocket. This of course makes sense. The only sacrifice that could be fit for the perfect Covenant King, is a perfect sacrifice.
Imagine when King Charles and Camilla visited our fair land, and our PM, Anthony Albanese, is presenting something on behalf of the Australia people to royalty. What does he give them? Something he’s picked up from the Op-Shop that has been used and bumped and dented? Does he send his aide to the $2 shop to pick up some cheap rubbish? No-way! Royalty will be given something fit for royalty. Something new and in prime condition. Second best is out of the question.
The notable thing about the burnt offering, is that it all goes up in smoke. Apart from the skin, It’s completely consumed by the flames. Imagine something valuable to you, all going up in smoke like that. Your new lego set, or your classic Mazda or Landcruiser, burnt to a crisp with nothing left. The point this emphasises is that of complete commitment. Nothing is withheld in this sacrifice. It is completely given over to God.
Let’s be clear though, these bulls and sheep and goats didn’t make a person acceptable to God. The Israelite worshipper knew that. They weren’t looking at the little pigeon going wow, what a powerful little animal this is. Because tomorrow they were going to have to offer another burnt offering. They knew that animal was pointing them to the ultimate sacrifice to come. The sacrifice of Jesus. 1Peter 1:18 says: ‘For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.’
It’s Leviticus 1 language. Precious blood refers to Jesus’ life poured out. The life is in the blood. So Jesus gave up everything, it was complete commitment. It was complete surrender to the will of his Father. His utter devotion to do all that His father called him to, even to the point of death on the cross. No reservations, no holding back, no half measures. He alone could sing with honesty and integrity the words of the classic hymn: Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee. Take myself, and I will be, ever, only, all for thee. There’s only one person in all of human history who had this kind of commitment – not you, not me, but Jesus. And that’s why he is uniquely qualified to be a sacrifice for sin.
He is uniquely valuable and perfect, and utterly committed and perfectly obedient to His Father. His is the only sacrifice that can make a person acceptable to God.
So the real offering that God was always looking for, as one commentator put it, is: Not the most expensive animal in a man’s herd, but the most valuable person in the universe! Jesus is the burnt offering. And that’s why Christians don’t offer burnt offerings any more. That’s why this is a bloodless church service, because the blood of Christ has been shed, there is no more sacrifice needed to atone for sin.
Whilst the burnt offering is primarily about the work of Christ, the N.T. makes an interesting application to believers. We don’t offer up sacrifices of atonement any more. But we are called to offer up our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Rom.12). We are called to give God our complete commitment. Our best as we worship God wholeheartedly, singing and praying and reading with enthusiasm. Our best as we seek to obey God in daily life, striving to please Him in all that we do. Our best as we set aside this day to rest and worship and remember. Our best as we work hard to honour the Lord in our daily work. We want to bring Him our fervent love, and wholehearted obedience, and total commitment. That’s what Leviticus 1 drums into our minds our hearts. Let’s give the Lord our complete commitment.
So the burnt offering shows us how gracious the Lord is, how demanding the Lord is, and it also shows us how personal the Lord is.
This tabernacle worship was not a clean and tidy affair like our worship services. In fact, it was not for the faint of heart. There would have been the bleating and struggling animals. There would have been a lot of blood. There would have been a pretty powerful BBQ smell with all that meat. And the worshipper was actually very hands on. Every time you read the word ‘you’ in the text, it’s the worshipper doing the action, not the priest. You would have to bring that struggling animal to the tabernacle. You had to slaughter it according to vs.5, and you had to skin it and cut it up according to vs.6. You didn’t do this stuff at a distance, it was very hands on. And as that bloody scene is before your eyes, there is only one thing on your mind – this animal is dying for me…!
That’s what the laying on of hands signified in vs.4 [laying on = press down hard upon]. It signified transference. Your unholiness, and guilt, and the filth of your sin, was being symbolically transferred to another. But Laying On your hands didn’t just transfer, it identified the animal as your substitute. The animal was going to get what you deserved. And what does sin deserve? Death. Each sinner, each unholy person, deserves to be entirely consumed by the fire of God’s judgment forever. And yet God provides a substitute to stand in our place. Not a substitutionary animal, but his very own son to be wholly consumed by the fire of God’s holy wrath upon the cross. This is deeply personal.
A Korean Pastor told the story of a 4th century Korean man who had two sons. The elder son rose to become Chief Justice in the land and the younger became an infamous bandit. The elder brother loved his younger brother but was unable to persuade him to change his ways. Eventually the younger son was caught and brought before his brother, the Chief Justice. Everyone in the courtroom thought the younger brother would get off because it was well known that the Chief Justice loved his brother. But at then end of the trial, the Chief Justice sentenced his brother to death.
On the day of the execution, the elder brother came to the prison and said to his brother, “Let’s swap places.” The younger brother agreed thinking that once they realised that it was the elder brother, the execution would not go forward. On he went up on the hill to watch proceedings. His brother was brought out at dawn and to his horror executed. Filled with remorse, he ran down the hill and told the guard his name and that he was the criminal who should be executed. The guards said to him. “There is no sentence outstanding on anyone with that name.”
It doesn’t get more personal than this does it, congregation? Can you imagine being that younger brother. It shouldn’t be hard should it? Because if you in faith laid your hand on Christ. Transferring all your guilt to him, he has died as your substitute. That’s the offer of the gospel: ‘Let’s swap places’. And there is now no sentence outstanding for those who have laid their hands upon Christ. There’s nothing to fear. There’s no divine justice left. We have every assurance that we are forgiven and right with God, now and into all eternity.
Three times the burnt offering is said to be a ‘pleasing aroma to the Lord.’ That doesn’t mean that God really likes the smell of beef or lamb or pigeon. This is an anthropomorphism. It’s when the Bible uses the language of human experience to explain a truth about God. So it doesn’t mean that God likes the smell of roast meat. It means that this burnt offering satisfied God. It was pleasing and acceptable to Him. And because of Jesus’ sacrifice, all who trust in Him are pleasing and acceptable to the Lord as well.
That’s the assurance that Levitus should bring us. The assurance that I don’t need to do anything to make myself acceptable to God. I could offer him a thousand prayers. I could spill my tears daily over my sin. I could go on a short-term mission every year. I could forsake all my worldly goods. I could serve on every church committee and preach 5 times a week and I’d never earn acceptance with God. There’s also the assurance that there’s nothing I can do to make me unacceptable to him. My flaws and failures, and all the times I haven’t been fully committed to God can’t diminish the sacrifice Christ made. And isn’t this the glory of the gospel. That as I, as you, lay your hand in faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. God as it were looks upon us, and draws a deep smell and says, ‘Aaah, that Andrew, that Maryanne, that Caleb, they sure are pleasing to me, because Christ is so pleasing to me.’ What a gospel. What a sacrifice. What a glorious saving God we have.
AMEN.