“Offerings to God”

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.

(Leviticus 9.22-23)

It’s easy to remember that Moses’ brother Aaron was Israel’s first high priest, in charge of the sacrifices in the tabernacle. What’s harder to recall, or even understand in the first place, is that both the priests and the nation as a whole were responsible for a variety of different types of sacrifice, with distinct purposes. The first seven chapters of Leviticus present five major offerings.

Burnt Offering

When you think of an Old Testament sacrifice, this generic sacrifice is probably what comes to mind. It could be taken from the cattle, sheep, or goats. After selecting “a male without blemish” (Le 1.3) the Israelite was to bring his offering into the courtyard of the tabernacle, “lay his hand on the head” of the animal (v4), and then “kill it” (v11). Priests were to collect the animal’s blood and splash it against the sides of the altar, while the offerer processed the carcass for burning.

There’s a set of alternative rules for birds, but with the same result: “a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (v17). In the case of stock animals, the hide was to go to the officiating priest (7.8), but the rest of the animal was to be burned up on the altar. This type of sacrifice was done daily and at feasts on behalf of the nation, but individuals could also bring burnt offerings of their own free will, or to pay vows.

Grain Offering

This is likewise called “a food offering to the Lord” (Le 2.16), but consists of the produce of the ground, rather than an animal. That’s not the only difference, though. This one typically accompanied a burnt offering (cf. Nu 28.31) or a peace offering (cf. Nu 6.17), and served to supplement that animal sacrifice. It could be offered in the form of flour, or as baked, unleavened loaves. Unlike the burnt offering, only a small portion—“a handful” (Le 6.15)—was to be burned on the altar. The rest was given to the priests, to eat (v16).

Peace Offering

This one starts out much like the burnt offering, except that the animal could be “male or female” (Le 3.1). The blood was to be drained and splashed as before (v2), and a few select portions burned on the altar. What to do with the rest of the meat?

And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.

(Leviticus 7.15)

“His” and “he” in this verse both refer to the one who brought the offering. He is to make sure it’s all eaten by the next morning! Now, imagine an Israelite who brings “an animal from the herd” (3.1)—a cow—and you’ll see a problem! Clearly he is not expected to eat all that meat alone. A portion is allotted to the priests (vv31-32), but it’s the offerer’s job to make sure the rest is eaten or destroyed! The rule said the remainder of the meat must “be eaten”; it did not say by whom! This fosters generosity and sharing in a communal meal.

Sin Offering

The section on sin offerings is more than three times the length of any other. As the name suggests, this offering was intended to atone for sin. There are specific regulations for sin offerings made by priests, the whole nation, a leader, and a common person, for the last two of whom affordable alternatives to a bull are permitted. Their offerings were performed entirely in the courtyard, around the altar of burnt offering; but those of the nation and of priests were accomplished partly within the tabernacle itself, using the altar of incense (Le 4.7 & 16). The meat from the common people’s and leaders’ sin offerings could be eaten by “every male among the priests” (6.29), but the meat from the offerings of priests and the nation as a whole was to be taken “outside the camp to a clean place” and “burned up” (4.12).

Guilt Offering

This offering is basically an extension of the sin offering, when tangible damage was done, requiring “restitution” (Le 5.16). Divided into subsections on “the holy things of the Lord” (v15), harm done in ignorance (cf. v17), and loss inflicted on a “neighbor” (6.2), this offering consisted of the actual monetary amount plus one-fifth in damages (5.16), as well as “a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent” in money (6.6). The meat from the animal was to be treated “just like the sin offering,” given to the “priest who makes atonement with it” (7.7).

§

This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.

(Leviticus 7.37-38)

We don’t live under the same scheme of ritual sacrifice, so we tend to lump them all together. But the differences show us that there was a great variety of ways to render service to God. This is still true today.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

(Romans 12.6-8)

Jeremy Nettles

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