Notes On Leviticus
Ch.1
1. See Numbers 12:6-8
“Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD.”
Moses foreshadows Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who walked the earth in fellowship with his Father - and through his Sacrifice and shed blood, we can now do the same: The veil is now gone, and one day we will all see face to face: 1Corinthians 13:12
““To represent as well the several perfections of Christ, be true sacrifice, and the various benefits of his death, as the several duties which men owe to their Creator and Redeemer, all which could not be so well expressed by one sort of sacrifices.”
Because of this, the Lord gives precise instructions on how and what to sacrifice: Eg, only animals from herd or flock are to be offered : no wild animal will be accepted: In the same way, the Lord Himself will come down - not through any of the gentile nations, but as one of them - an Israelite! From the line of Judah...to offer Himself, as the perfect Lamb for sacrifice.
3-7. See Exodus 29:10-14
The entire carcass is burned; for a complete atonement of sin: Nothing must remain (See John 3:3-6)
He must offer a male without blemish...foreshadowing the Son of Man...the Second Adam: a male without blemish (John 3:16)
In this same way, sheep, goats and birds will be offered, either each type being offered at different sides of the altar, for reasons of practicality.
3. “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:8-9
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
So it would make sense that one who seeks atonement would present himself before the Lord, at the Door to the Tabernacle:-
Our sins cannot be atoned for without us also coming to the One who is the “Door”...and the “Way”...into the Presence of God. (See note on Exodus 29:42-46)
4. See Exodus 29:10
In an act of substitutionary atonement, a person’s sin is transferred from them to the substitute. Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, will sacrifice himself as our substitute, taking on himself the sins of the whole world. (John 1:29)
The act of laying hand on the sacrifice, is a picture of our total surrender, of our old lives, to the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is God.
5. This would have been a somber moment for the owner of the animal, as he delivers the death blow to this innocent substitute, for pardon of his own sins. It is impactful - as no doubt the Lord intended it to be. The wages of sin is humanity’s death blow - but he will send his only begotten son, to take this death blow, as our substitute. By the hands of sinners, the Son of God will be Sacrificed: Here, at the Door of the House of God, begins a sobering foreshadow of this event.
9. Only by cleaning the inside of the cup and dish, will the outside also be clean. (Matthew 23:25-26)
When we are born again, through receiving the Sacrifice of Christ, the Lord, through his Holy Spirit, begins this process of inner cleansing.
9. The pleasing aroma is a life that has been atoned for...and a foreshadowing of the Sacrifice of the Son of God. Ephesians 5:2
14. These birds were appointed for the relief of the poor who could not bring better. And these birds are preferred before others, partly because they were easily gotten, and partly because they are fit representations of Christ’s chastity, and meekness, and gentleness, for which these birds are remarkable.” (Poole)
15. i. Trapp on wring off its head: “Or, Pinch it with his nail, that the blood might go out, without separating it from the rest of the body. This prefigured the death of Christ without either breaking a bone or dividing the Godhead from the manhood; as also the skill that should be in ministers, to cut or divide aright the word of truth.”
“The body of the bird was squeezed against the side of the altar, since there would not have been enough blood to perform the complete ritual described earlier.” (Peter-Contesse)
16. On the east side: “To wit, of the tabernacle. Here the filth was cast, because this was the remotest place from the holy of holies, which was in the west end; to teach us, that impure things and persons should not presume to approach to God, and that they should be banished from his presence.” (Poole)
Ch.2
1. See notes on Exodus 29:1-4
Fine flour is flour that has gone through the process of cleaning, crushing, grinding and sifting - to purification. All of this, painting for us a picture of Jesus Christ: The best and most “finely ground flour” offered by the Lord himself...and yet, will still go through this process - for us. All we need do now is Follow Him.
Vs.2 Once we have gone through the refining, then comes the anointing: Once we have been crucified with Christ and cleansed of our sins, we are then able to receive the anointing - the baptism - of the Holy Spirit:-
“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”” (Acts 1:4-5)
Then frankincense would be added to the mix: Symbolizing intercession - and specifically, the intercession of the High Priest as he stands between Life and death...between the people and the judgement.
“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
See Hebrews 7:25-27
Frankincense: See https://sarahshalom777.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-epiphany.html?m=1
2-3. The memorial portion:
Not that the Lord needs reminding of anything - but rather, this is symbolic of, and pointing towards, the fulfillment of His Covenant...that He made with Himself (Genesis 15:8-21) ...that He will provide the Sacrifice (Genesis 22:7-8)...that will end all others.
A beautiful picture to consider: Whenever the memorial portion, given back to him by the priests, is burned on the altar, He sees the Sacrifice of His Son, coming up before him as a pleasing aroma. Ephesians 5:2
The remainder of the Lord’s offering, eaten by the priests, reminds us of John 6:26-58 - Jesus Christ, the offering of the Lord, is our daily manna from Heaven. He is the Lord’s portion, given to we who follow him and serve in his House. (1Peter 2:9)
4. See note on Exodus 29:2-3
“ Grains and things that grow are of great necessity and benefit to man, and it is appropriate to honor God with such things.
· Even the poorest could offer a grain offering, and God wanted to open the door for the poor to bring offerings to Him.
· This brought necessary and helpful grain and other produce to the priests.
(Matthew Poole)
5-7.
Whether the grain offering is cooked in an oven, a pan or on a griddle, it is a type of first fruits of man’s labor, prepared - not in the tabernacle- but in the “kitchens” of each family, and given to God: It must be the first and the best (fine flour) - unlike the offering given by Cain in Genesis 4:3-5; and is an expression of worship and devotion beginning from within the Family.
This is why (in vs.9) it is a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The frankincense in this case, representing hearts devoted to God in the place where it really matters: The home.
11. Leaven: see note on Exodus 12:15-20, 29:1-2
Leaven is always associated with anything contaminating and/or contorting that which is pure. In the case of bread, leaven expands and puffs up the substance, making it rise higher and larger than normal. It is exactly the same way with our sin natures. Yet, in the Gospels , Jesus warns the disciples, and the people again and again: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:12
Other scriptures:
Matthew 16:6-12 (the leaven of the Pharisees)
Mark 8:15, (the leaven of Herod)
1 Corinthians 5:6-9. (the old leaven of corruption and sin)
“These then are the corrupting influences which are not to be mixed with our service. In all the work we do for God, there is to be an absence of hypocrisy, of materialism, of the spirit which is contrary to love and truth.” (Morgan)
Leaven can make things artificially sour and honey can make things artificially sweet. God did not want either of these in sacrifice. When we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) He wants us to come just as we are, without artificially making ourselves more sour or sweet.
iv. F.B. Meyer considered it like this:
· “No leaven – the symbol of the rising pride and self.”
· “No honey – that which is merely attractive and sensuous.”
Enduring Word Commentary
Honey was also used in the sacrificial rituals to pagan gods. Israel must be separate, to the One True Lord, and purged of any trace of idolatry, in the same way that their homes were purged of leaven, at the feast of unleavened bread.
12. The first fruits of produce were different from the offerings for sin, that were burned as an aroma on the altar: These pointed toward the Sacrifice of Messiah, whereas first-fruits are a form of worship; an acknowledgment of God and a declaration of trust in his provision and protection.
Remember, leaven - representing sin - cannot have any part of the offerings on the altar - all of which point in some way and form, to the Sacrifice of Christ.
13. Salt is essential in so many ways:
As a preservative:
“Salt is a preservative, so it symbolizes the notion that the covenant cannot be destroyed by fire or decay. The phrase ‘covenant of salt’ emphasizes the durability or eternality of the covenant.” (Rooker)
As a purifier: The Lord will not leave us in sin, but through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, we will not only be saved from hell, but sanctified and purified, by the Holy Spirit, coming to “tabernacle” within us.
As a flavorer: Just as it only takes little leaven to corrupt a whole loaf, so, a little salt can make it palatable. This is why the Lord says, in Psalm 34:8:- “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”
Also Colossians 4:6, Matthew 5:13-16
14-16. In the same way as the animal is slaughtered by the one who, for his own sins is offering it, the grain is also, in the same way crushed: It is we - fallen humanity - who, through both Jew and Gentile, will deliver the death blow to the Christ, the Lamb of God...not for his sins - but for ours!
“Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:4-6
The crushing will be done at home to show that the eyes of the Lord are not in any way confined, to just the Tabernacle: He is among them, in every tent, with every family.
Ch.3
1-2. See Exodus 29:19-25
The purpose of peace offerings were not to make peace with God: This has already been done, through the burned and sin offerings. (Which both are pointing towards the Sacrifice of Jesus) And it is through this Forgiveness and atonement of sin, that the peace offering is presented to God - as a thanksgiving for this peace! See Luke 2:14, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14-16
A male or female could be offered (as a demonstration of Galatians 3:28)
It must still be without blemish (because Salvation does not only stop at forgiveness and remission of sin: See Ephesians 5:26-27, Colossians 1:21-22)
Just like the sin offering, this offering is made at the door of the Tabernacle, exactly because: John 10:8, 14:6. The peace offering is humanity’s way of acknowledging this.
3. The heleb, ‘the fat’ that covers the organs and entrails, was not to be eaten but was to be burned. The fat represented the choicest part of the offering. The fat belonged to God and had to be offered to him in sacrifice.” (Rooker)
When we give our first and our best to the Lord in thanksgiving, it comes before him as a pleasing aroma.
8. Laying the hand on the head of the substitute, is not a denial of sin, but an acknowledgement of it. This public display is even more humbling, because the substitute for is in itself, innocent of guilt. It is our guilt it carries:
“But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:5-6
9-10.
The tail of the kind of sheep raised in Palestine may have contained as much as seven or more kilograms of fat and was considered a delicacy.” (Peter-Contesse)
The fatty lobe attached to the liver: “among certain neighboring tribes of the Israelites, the liver was used in divination rites. Possibly this is why Jewish legislation required that it be burned. But it is also true that, like the fat, this particular part of the liver referred to as the appendagewas considered a delicacy and was therefore appropriate to be set aside for God.” (Peter-Contesse)
12-13. The animals for the peace offering can be both male and female, from heard or flock...both sheep and goats - possibly pointing towards salvation that will be offered to both the Jew and the gentile. Again, see Galatians 3:28
The blood sprinkled on the four sides of the altar, representing Salvation to the four corners of the world. (N, S, E, W)
16-17. For this particular offering, a part was given to the Lord as his portion, with the remainder for consumption by the offerer and their family: A beautiful picture of supping and fellowship with the Lord; which is the purpose of the sacrifice, and what the One True Sacrifice offered by the Lord, will accomplish. Romans 5:1
Ch.4
2. Unintentional sins: Not outright rebellion, but rather implying that a person is trying to live right, and stumbles; because we are all sinners and will inevitably fall short of God’s perfection. We all stumble. This is why this sacrifice is necessary.
Peter-Contesse on the word translated sins: “At the heart of its meaning is the notion of ‘missing the mark,’ or ‘failure to attain something,’ or ‘to be out of harmony with someone,’ or ‘not to be in a normal and right relationship with someone.’ In this case, it is God that has been harmed.”
3. “...if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people...”
Jesus walked the earth for roughly 33 years, during which time he did not once commit a sin - even unintentionally. How could this be possible? Because he is the Son of God...and with God, ALL things are possible!
So it is no surprise that after he was anointed by the Holy Spirit, at his baptism, he continued to live blamelessly on our behalf - our holy and sinless High Priest; until the time of the Sacrifice: He had brought no guilt upon us...but rather, our guilt was placed upon him!
5-7. Already we see that the ritual for atonement for an anointed priest is different from the normal people. The priests represented the people before God - and God before the people; and therefore carried a much greater responsibility.
The blood of the sacrifice must be brought into the Holy Place, and the veil anointed seven times by this blood.
What does this point towards?
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 9:11-15
6. “The sevenfold sprinkling was also part of the Day of Atonement ritual (Leviticus 16:14, 15, 19), the purification of the leper ritual (Leviticus 14:7), and the dedication of the altar (Leviticus 8:11).” (Rooker)
7. Blood was sprinkled upon the altar (symbolic of Jesus’s perfect sacrifice- see note in Exodus 30:1-10) and possibly also the veil (also symbolic of Jesus’s body - see note on Exodus 26:31-32)
Blood upon the Altar: see https://sarahshalom777.blogspot.com/2021/09/lesson-5-incense-alter-john-174-it-is.html?m=1
For every man’s sin, the life...the blood...of that sinner is required:
But Jesus Christ shed his blood in our place. This is the symbolism of the altar of incense - not judgment, but mercy: So when the penitent sinner’s blood is surrendered to this altar, the result will be mercy for that sinner not judgment: They are in effect, throwing themselves upon the mercy of the Lord - made available through the sacrifice of the Son.
Picture these live coals burning red…
This is all that remains of the wrath of God, for those who have put their trust in His Son: (what a contrast to the Fire of the Altar of Sacrifice!)
Blood upon the Veil: see
https://sarahshalom777.blogspot.com/2021/09/lesson-6-anchor-scripture-hebrews-911.html?m=1
“Whether the blood fell on the veil or not we are not certain; but we have good reason to believe that it was cast upon the veil itself. The veil, of costliest tapestry, would thus become by degrees more and more like a vesture dipped in blood.” (Spurgeon)
So the veil becomes a constant reminder; of man’s sin and the Lord’s mercy - until:
“...the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Matthew 27:51
...until Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God takes our judgment upon himself.
Blood on The horns: At the horns of the brazen altar at the Door, the sacrifice for sin (the crucifixion of Jesus Christ) has already been made. So, for the penitent sinner who has received this sacrifice, the remission of all sins comes, not through going back to the brazen altar and making the sacrifice over and over again (Hebrews 10:1-14, 6:4-6), but through coming directly into the Holy Place - which we can, because of the Sacrifice of Jesus: See 1John 1:5-9, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1Peter 3:18
8-10. Once again, giving to the Lord the very best offering, as a thanksgiving gift for the remission of sins - symbolizing our souls...that which is within:
As he will give to us , his very best offering, for the complete, permanent and perfect remission of ALL sins for ALL time!
(just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings)vs.10
So this is likened more to the peace offering than the sin offering; because, for one who is no longer in rebellion against God, but now living to serve him; although they inevitably stumble, this (peace offering) is all that is required. Romans 5:1-2
Our Offering for sin...our Passover Lamb...has been sacrificed.
11-12. This, the burning of the outward - is symbolic of our old carnal natures being destroyed - not immediately, but day by day...hour by hour...of every step we take with Christ Jesus. This is the mystery of sanctification. Christ died to Redeem us, once and for all; but our sanctification is an ongoing process: See note on Exodus
This is why Paul says in 1Corinthians 15:31 “I die daily”: Every day, we crucify old our sinful selves, to put on our new creation, holy and sanctified by Christ. Ephesians 4:22-24
Galatians 2:20,
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 6:1-14
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Here is the mystery of sanctification.
14-16. All of this is being done, to prevent judgement. The moment sin is brought to light, it must be brought by the sinner, literally into the Light (1John 1:5-9) - not for punishment...but that the Lord, through the sacrifice of a substitute, may grant mercy! This “substitute” is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29 ) and to receive the Lord’s mercy, we must walk in Christ’s Light. (1John 1:7)
This is what Adam and Eve failed to recognize, when the hid from the Lord in the garden: Knowing they had sinned, they attempted to cover it up, behind bushes, fig leaves and accusations (Genesis 3:7-8, 12-13) - and then...even then...the Lord was merciful; even then, a substitute was sacrificed and the shame of their nakedness covered (Genesis 3:21). All of this, from the beginning, was paving the Way for the One True and Perfect Sacrifice provided by the Lord: Himself! John 10:17-18
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