Leviticus 6:8-13
“This is the law of the burnt offering:”
I draw out this one portion from the five lines of text. I missed it in my first five readings or so. It was upon meditating upon the Word that the significance was brought out.
We all know that God makes laws. So often we look at those laws as commandments, as the Lord told Moses, “Command Aaron and his sons”. I get it. We are commanded.
What is the Lord’s part? We so often focus on our part, clarity of understanding, observance, faithfulness, and performance review. What about the fact that God, in making this law has a part in His response to the very law He spoke?
So much of what God commanded was conditional. “If you will, I will.” All those things were given on condition. The blessings were conditional upon performance. God could withhold blessings based on our performance. Here in the law of the burnt offering there is no conditional language. It is stated as factual. God does this period. Our perfection in performance is not an issue, only God’s part is perfect as He is perfect.
“It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar”.
The condition of what constitutes a burnt offering is not in the burning, nor in the sacrifice, nor in the performance or faithfulness on our part but rather the location. Upon the alter.
To give a thing to the Lord, don’t you have to be in His presence?
I have to admit that often I get so wrapped up in the act that I have left the Lord out of it.
Can you relate?
I love the ability you have for “priming pumps”….and the burnt offering primes mine. Thank you for opening such a profitable discussion. The burnt offering is totally for God. “The law of the burnt offering” I see as an established law. It is like the law of gravity….man cannot change it. The point of the ashes is that it is totally consumed….the law of burning is that anything burnt leaves ashes…..that can’t be changed.
Now let’s look at our Lord Jesus…..Hebrews 10:8-12, to sum it up.
” In burnt offerings and offerings for sin You had no pleasure in, Lo I come to do Thy will oh God. Then He takes away the first to establish the second.” Verse 12 “but this Man, after He had offered ONE sacrifice…..forever, sat down on the right hand of God”. On the cross, the 3 hours of darkness was when the “Burnt Offering” was consumed to ashes, hence “my God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Then the “ashes” were taken to the “clean place” .. ..John 19:41 “a new tomb, wherein man was never yet laid”! God had planned the details and NO one could change them..
I apologize for the length of this, but “the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” is a MIGHTY topic. He is my “Burnt Offering”. Thank you, dear brother, for opening this wonderful topic. Lord Jesus, I love You and worship You.
On my closing, I meant to say “dear brother”….sorry for the booboo!!!
FIXED not to worry!! admin of this page
There again you bring that connective tissues of scripture into focus. Well done.