OFFERING: A STUDY OF LEVITICUS
Overview to Leviticus;
The Burnt Offering
Leviticus 1:1-17
DRAWING NEAR
“If I had my choice of all the blessings I can
conceive of I would choose perfect conformity to
the Lord Jesus, or, in one word, holiness”.
–Charles Spurgeon
WHY STUDY LEVITICUS
Old Testament scholar Thomas Mann stated, ―Many
a pious vow to read straight through the Bible from
cover to cover has foundered on the shoals of Leviticus.‖
We’ve all been there. The first two books of the Old
Testament are filled with narrative drama, from the
incredible biographies in Genesis to the cinematic battles
between the God of Israel and the Pharaoh of Egypt. We
thrill as we watch Moses with his hands raised high,
storm clouds and lightening surrounding him, begin to
part the Red Sea as the nation of Israel escapes from
Pharaoh’s charging chariots!
Then we begin in Leviticus. It takes us by surprise.
Suddenly we experience the dry desert and meaningless
wandering the children of Israel experienced. The
colorful drama of only a few chapters earlier is replaced
by bloody sacrifice, ceremonial cleanings, and priestly
orders. It’s enough to cause one reader to report that two
chapters of Leviticus prior to bed will cure the most
profound case of insomnia.
So, why do we study Leviticus?
 Read the following Scripture passages and discuss
the importance of Old Testament Scriptures,
including the book of Leviticus.
 1 Corinthians 10:6 & 11
 Romans 15:4
 2 Timothy 3:16, 17
What do these New Testament passages teach us
about the importance of Old Testament Scriptures?
 Leviticus is a book of worship, but it does not
describe how we worship today. What has changed?
Read John 4:21-24. Some things have not changed,
however; God has not changed. Repeatedly
throughout the book of Leviticus God states that He
is a holy God and we are to be a holy people. Does
our worship today reflect holiness?
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Winter 2011
This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series ―Offering: A Study of Leviticus‖ by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this
series are available at www.firstfamilyministries.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
January 8/9, 2011
A Holy God; A Holy People
In his introduction to Be Holy, his commentary on
Leviticus, Warren Wiersbe penned:
Whatever else the professing Christian
church may be known for today—great crowds,
expensive buildings, big budgets, political
clout—it’s not distinguished for its holiness.
Bible-believing evangelical Christians make up
a sizable minority in the United States, but our
presence isn’t making much of an impact on
society. The salt seems to have lost its saltiness,
and the light is so well hidden that the
marketplace is quite dark.
Eight times in Scripture, God said to His
people, ―Be holy, for I am holy!‖ This is one of
the major themes of Leviticus, a book that
teaches us how to avoid sin and how to grow in
holiness.
How many of us today long to be holy? The truth is,
even among devout Christians, holiness is really not
considered ―cool.‖ Jonathan Edwards wrote that, ―He
that sees the beauty of holiness, or true moral good sees
the greatest and most important thing in the world.‖
 Read the following Scripture passages and discuss
the importance of holiness to God and to His people
today?
 2 Corinthians 7:1
 Hebrews 12:14
 Matthew 5:6
 Leviticus 11:44-45
 1 Peter 1:15-16
Compare the pursuit of holiness with today’s
Christianity. What are American Christians pursuing
in 2011? Talk about this for a while.
THE SACRIFICE
Leviticus 1 describes the first of five sacrifices—the
Burnt Offering. This is the oldest offering known to man
(cf. Genesis 4). This is a picture of Christ. In this
chapter, God provides the only one way for man to
become acceptable to God. Man on his own is not
acceptable to God. There is nothing man can do to close
this gap. How, then, can man approach God, become
acceptable to God? How can man be reconciled, brought
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to God? This is the glorious message of this passage:
there is a way to approach God. The way is through the
Burnt Offering. Keep in mind that the Burnt Offering
pictures the atonement, the ransom price paid so that
man might escape the death penalty demanded by God's
holiness. To say it another way, the Burnt Offering
pictured the atonement, the ransom price, paid to
reconcile and make the person acceptable to God
(Leviticus 1:3-4). In today's terms, this is a picture of
salvation, of Jesus Christ dying for us, of His paying the
ransom price so that we might escape the penalty of
death.
Note these key characteristics of the Burnt Offering:
 God, not man, determined the way (v. 1).
 God appointed a mediator (Moses) to reveal the
way (v. 1).
 God opened the way for all to seek
reconciliation thru sacrifice (v. 2)
 God told the rich how to approach Him (vs. 3-9).
 God told the average person how to approach
Him (vs. 10-13).
 God told the poor how to approach Him (vs. 14-
17).
Don’t miss the symbolism and lessons in this
passage:
1. The sinner put the victim to death.
2. The innocent died for the guilty.
3. The shed blood of the sacrifice covered the altar
of sacrifice, the altar where the fires of judgment
consumed the victim. The shed blood kept the
judgment from consuming the sinner, the person
seeking atonement (reconciliation). The blood of
Jesus Christ redeems us, delivers us from the
consuming judgment and wrath of God.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
(From the MacArthur Study Bible)
And the LORD called unto Moses (v. 1)–The and
connects Leviticus with the Book of Exodus, thus
forming a continuous narrative. The expression is
used in practically the same form 56 times in the 27
chapters. Yahweh, the covenant God, is now
―summoning‖ Moses as in Exodus 24:16, since God
is instructing Moses in connection with the
sacrificial rituals and is not calling him in the sense
in which Christ called His disciples (Matt. 4:19–21;
Mark 1:17–20).
Out of the tabernacle of the congregation God (v. 1)–
the place where God appeared in the cloud and
spoke to Moses as ―a man speaketh unto his friend‖
To bring an offering (v. 2)–involves the Hebrew word
qorban and is used here comprehensively of ―that
which is brought near.‖ It can be used of any
offering, even of the Passover lamb.
Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide – Winter 2011
This study guide is produced to coordinate with the weekly sermon series ―Offering: A Study of Leviticus‖ by First Family Church, Ankeny, IA. More resources on this
series are available at www.firstfamilyministries.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
A burnt sacrifice (v. 3)–is presented first for significant
reasons. It expressed ―dedication.‖ The term means
―that which ascends,‖ that is, to Yahweh. The entire
sacrifice was consumed by fire on the altar, so that it
was also described as the ―whole burnt offering.‖ Of
the other sacrifices, part was burned and part was
eaten by the priests or even by the offerer himself;
but all the burnt offering ascended to God in flame
and smoke. Thus, the Israelite was taught that entire
consecration is essential to true worship.
A male without blemish (v. 3)–indicating we are to
bring the best we have to Him.
At the door of the tabernacle, (v. 3)–The proper place to
offer the sacrifice, that is, in the court near the
brazen altar, not at home or elsewhere.
Putting his hand upon the head of the burnt offering
(v. X)–expressed the surrender of the gift to God, the
identification of the gift with the giver, and the
transfer to the sacrifice of all that the worshiper
owed to God.
To make atonement for him (v. 4)–The word for
―atonement‖ can mean ―to cover over,‖ and might
even relate to the covering God provided for Adam
and Eve through the shedding of the animal’s blood
in Genesis 3:21. This offering would ―cover over‖
the worshiper’s sin.
A sweet savor unto the LORD (v. 9, 13, 17)–since this
was what He had desired; therefore it was literally a
―pleasing odor.‖ In 6:8–13, this type of offering is to
be presented for the people every morning and
evening. The consecration God requires of His
people is not merely once for all, but continuous, yet
renewed consciously at the opening and the closing
of each day. Note Psalm 40:6–8 and Romans 12:1,
2.
ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION
1. Has this introduction to Leviticus changed your
perception of the book? Why or why not?
2. How is the Old Testament incomplete without
the New Testament? Explain your answer.
3. Leviticus 1 provides the first priestly
instructions regarding sacrifices and offerings,
yet the concepts of sin, sacrifice, blood, and
atonement appear as early as Genesis 4. What do
these indications imply?
4. What did John the Baptist mean when he
introduced Jesus as ―the Lamb of God which
takes away the sin of the world?‖ (John 1:29).
FOR FURTHER STUDY
To dig in deeper to many of the key concepts and
teachings found in Leviticus 1, be sure to enroll in the
companion site for this study found at
elearning.firstfamilyministries.com.
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