Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Leviticus 7:22-38 NKJV

²² And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat. ²⁴ And the fat of an animal that dies naturally, and the fat of what is torn by wild beasts, may be used in any other way; but you shall by no means eat it. ²⁵ For whoever eats the fat of the animal of which men offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, the person who eats it shall be cut off from his people. ²⁶ Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. ²⁷ Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

²⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁹ “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offering to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offering. ³⁰ His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the Lord. The fat with the breast he shall bring, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. ³¹ And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. ³² Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a heave offering from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. ³³ He among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat, shall have the right thigh for his part. ³⁴ For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.’ ”

³⁵ This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his sons, from the offerings made by fire to the Lord, on the day when Moses presented them to minister to the Lord as priests. ³⁶ The Lord commanded this to be given to them by the children of Israel, on the day that He anointed them, by a statute forever throughout their generations.

³⁷ This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecrations, and the sacrifice of the peace offering, ³⁸ which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day when He commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings to the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Though we are not told why, the consumption of fat from a sacrificed animal was an offense against God which, along with the consumption of blood, resulted in divine excommunication of the offender from the people of Israel and life with God. The phrase, “and shall be cut off” refers to what amounts to divine excommunication of the offender from the people of Israel, for God Himself enacts this punishment. It also implies that the “life” of that person will come to an end, for the “life” of an animal, as it is with humans, is the blood. No blood, no life.

The priests were the keepers of God’s house, and the administrators of His affairs; thus they received their livelihood directly from God rather than the land. He assigned certain portions of the offerings to them and their families so they could devote themselves fully to God’s service, without working the land or seeking other supplementary employment.

This reminds us at the very least that your faithful pastor also receives his livelihood from his faithful preaching and administration of God’s gifts to you. Even though some congregations are not big enough to support a pastor fully, they should do everything in their power to take care of his and his family’s needs.

When Jesus sent out His apostles, He decreed that they were to receive food and other necessities as a free gift from those who heard the Gospel (Mt 10:8-10). Those ministers of the Gospel were entitled to receive their livelihood from it (I Cor 9:13-14). Since they were involved in God’s holy work, they got their living from the holy offerings that were offered to God in the Divine Service and consecrated for sacred use. The ministers of the Word therefore depend on God for their living. He supports them through the sacred gifts that He receives as an offering from the congregation.

Let us pray: Thank You, Lord, for my faithful pastor, and help me to provide for his needs as He faithfully delivers Your gifts. Amen.

Leviticus 5:1-19; 6:1-7 NKJV

5 ‘If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.

² ‘Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and he is unaware of it, he also shall be unclean and guilty. ³ Or if he touches human uncleanness—whatever uncleanness with which a man may be defiled, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty.

⁴ ‘Or if a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, whatever it is that a man may pronounce by an oath, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty in any of these matters.

⁵ ‘And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing; ⁶ and he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.

⁷ ‘If he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord, for his trespass which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. ⁸ And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it completely. ⁹ Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰ And he shall offer the second as a burnt offering according to the prescribed manner. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

¹¹ ‘But if he is not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. ¹² Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. It is a sin offering. ¹³ The priest shall make atonement for him, for his sin that he has committed in any of these matters; and it shall be forgiven him. The rest shall be the priest’s as a grain offering.’ ”

¹⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹⁵ “If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring to the Lord as his trespass offering a ram without blemish from the flocks, with your valuation in shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, as a trespass offering. ¹⁶ And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

¹⁷ “If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity. ¹⁸ And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him. ¹⁹ It is a trespass offering; he has certainly trespassed against the Lord.”

6 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, ³ or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely—in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins: ⁴ then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, ⁵ or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering. ⁶ And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest. ⁷ So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses.”

Sin is sin, whether or not you are aware of your wrongdoing. In God’s eyes, ignorance of sin doesn’t get you off the hook, so to speak. In the first part of today’s reading, an interesting phrase is repeated: “when he realizes it.” In these instances, recorded in Lev. 5, one way or another, a person is brought to realize his offense, and he is guilty. However, as mentioned before, a sin is still a sin whether or not you know that it is. The important thing to remember here is that when the person is brought to realize his sin, that also brings the knowledge to that person that he needs to do something about it. In other words, he now realizes his error personally; it was a real sin anyway, but now the person knows it without a doubt and the appropriate restitution was to be made.

In Leviticus 6, it’s important to realize that any sin against your neighbor is a sin also against God. And here restoration to the one sinned against is to be made, and then the appropriate offering and/or sacrifice is to be brought to the temple for the priest to present on the person’s behalf. This teaches us that all sin has an effect on your neighbor and on God.

You, dear saint, are a sinner from conception; you inherited that nature from your parents and they from theirs, all the way back to Adam and Eve. Whether or not you have committed a particular sin or know that you have, your very nature is corrupt. Repent. Repent in faith and run to your pastor for Absolution, remember your baptism, and run to Holy Communion. Believe by faith that Christ is your Great High Priest who’s suffering, death, and resurrection paid for all your sins. He offered His life for you, and His work is accepted by the Father on your behalf.

Christ is the fulfillment of all Old Testament sacrifices and offerings; everything recorded there points forward to Christ. Your faithful pastor delivers Christ to you in the Word and Sacraments rightly preached and delivered. Everything you need is right there in God’s Divine Service.

 Let us pray: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your work on the cross to pay for my sins. Grant me faith always to believe and never waver. Amen.

Psalm 82:1-8 NKJV

82 God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.
² How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
³ Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
⁴ Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.

⁵ They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.

⁶ I said, “You are gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
⁷ But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”

⁸ Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations.

The Holy Spirit through the psalmist opens with a bold and true statement that God Himself “judges among the gods.” It’s basically a First Commandment statement which gives us comfort knowing that our God, the only true God, knows, judges, and rules all things for His glory and our good. The psalmist then chastises the false gods for judging unjustly and showing favoritism to the wicked. Then at the end the psalmist prays and knows that God Himself will judge the earth.

These are comforting truths, dear saints, for they teach you not to fret about earthly authorities. By faith you know and believe that not only does God have everything in control and that He alone orders and allows all things, even wicked rulers, to reign, but that God Himself will bring everything to a glorious end for His people, and He will impose an eternally destructive end for those who stand against Him. 

In the kingdom of Christ, of which you are a part by virtue of your baptism, there is strength and victory, even when it seems as though earthly kingdoms reign supreme and wickedly mistreat you and the rest of God’s people. They will be brought to nothing in the end, and you will stand with Christ as you are now strengthened by His Gospel rightly preached and His Sacraments rightly administered.

As today the Church celebrates The Transfiguration of Our Lord, remember that Moses and Elijah spoke of Jesus’ death; it was a death which paid for the sins of the world – your sins. Rejoice in Christ and trust His love for you in spite of earthly tyranny.

Let us pray: O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your only begotten Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers. In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed the adoption of sons. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 80:8-19 NKJV

⁸ You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
⁹ You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
¹⁰ The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
¹¹ She sent out her boughs to the Sea,
And her branches to the River.

¹² Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
¹³ The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.

¹⁴ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
¹⁵ And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
¹⁶ It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
¹⁷ Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.

¹⁹ Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

On several occasions in Scripture the Lord likens His people to a vine. Israel is compared to a vineyard in which God planted the choicest vine (Isaiah 5). Ezekiel compares the inhabitants of Jerusalem to wood from a vine that has grown worthless and is only good for the fire (Ezekiel 15). By comparing God’s people to a vine, He teaches how He plants, cultivates, and prunes His people so that they might bear fruit.

In Psalm 80, the vine which God had prepared room for, planted, and made grow, is devastated. As punishment for its repeated sins and impenitence, God allowed the vine’s hedges to be broken down. Without divine protection, God’s people are easy pickings and her enemies uproot her. Asaph prays for God to cease to look upon them with a rebuking countenance and send the Son of Man, the one who sits at God’s right hand. When the Son of Man comes, God will cause His face to shine upon them, for when God looks favorably upon His people they are restored and saved.

God answers Asaph’s prayer when He sends His only begotten Son to take upon Himself human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus is the Son of Man whom God has made strong for Himself, that is, for His saving purpose. Jesus calls Himself the “true vine” (Jn 15:1), God’s perfect planting which gives forgiveness of sins and life to the branches grafted into Him. Branches are granted into Him by believing and remaining in His word. Grafted to Christ, receiving His life through His word, we bear good fruit. The fruit is faith amid trials, prayer, and the desire to hear and learn God’s word. The fruit is love for one’s neighbor, diligence in one’s callings, and all the fruits of the Spirit Paul mentions in Galatians 5. The branch that does not bear fruit will be taken away, just as the Jews were taken away at the time of the exile. Jesus also tells us that every branch that bears fruit, God the Father prunes, that it may bear more fruit (Jn 15:2). God planted His vine—Christ Jesus—and grafts believers to the vine so that they might have life and bear fruit.

Let us pray: Grant us steadfast faith, dear Father, so that we may continually abide in Christ, enjoy His blessings, and bear God-pleasing fruit today. Amen.

Leviticus 4:16-35 NKJV

¹⁶ The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting. ¹⁷ Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil. ¹⁸ And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ¹⁹ He shall take all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. ²⁰ And he shall do with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. ²¹ Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly.

²² ‘When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty, ²³ or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. ²⁴ And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord. It is a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. ²⁶ And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

²⁷ ‘If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty, ²⁸ or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. ²⁹ And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. ³⁰ Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

³² ‘If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish. ³³ Then he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering. ³⁴ The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

It was not only the high priest and whole congregation who had to offer sin offerings for unintentional sins. The Lord also commanded the leaders and common people to make the sin offering for unintentional transgressions of God’s commands. Leaders of Israel were to bring “a kid of the goats, a male without blemish” (23). Common people could bring “a kid of the goats, a female without blemish” (28) or female lamb without blemish (32). By including everyone from the high priest to the common man, the Lord taught that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

The fact that God required sin offerings for unintentional sin shows how seriously God takes His word and Israel’s sin against it. It is sinful human nature to imagine that an unintentional sin isn’t really sin, so that if we didn’t mean to sin it isn’t technically sin. But any violation of God’s commandments, regardless of our awareness, is still a violation of God’s commandment. Sin is sin and as such, atonement must be made for it.

God also takes Israel’s salvation seriously, which is why He provided a means of making atonement for their unintentional sins. Through the sin offerings for unintentional sin, the Lord also taught Israel to be circumspect about how they live, so that they would strive to live according to God’s law and avoid sinning. Because of the sinful nature, they would most certainly sin without intending, for as Solomon writes, “There is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Eccl 7:20). Yet whenever they discovered their fault, they knew the remedy and where to seek it.

Like ancient Israel, we can sin without intending. Yet God has provided His Son as the atoning sacrifice four all our sins. His blood covers our unintentional sins. Knowing that we daily sin, we pray each day, “Forgive us our trespasses” and, when our fault becomes known to us, we know the remedy and where to seek it—in the suffering and death of Christ for all our sins. Let us pray: Keep us from sin, O Lord, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive us those trespasses of which we are not aware and strengthen us to walk in your commandments. Amen.

Leviticus 4:1-15 NKJV

4 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, ³ if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. ⁴ He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord. ⁵ Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting. ⁶ The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. ⁷ And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁸ He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails, ⁹ the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, ¹⁰ as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering. ¹¹ But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal— ¹² the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

¹³ ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which should not be done, and are guilty; ¹⁴ when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting. ¹⁵ And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord. Then the bull shall be killed before the Lord.

God regulated the divine service of the Old Testament and expected the priests to follow His word to the letter. However, as a sinful man, there would be times when the high priest unintentionally sinned against what God’s commands. Such a sin would also bring guilt on the entire community of Israel since the high priest was Israel’s representative before God.

To make atonement for such a sin, the priest brought a bull, the chief of all livestock, slaughtered it, and collected its blood. Blood was sprinkled on the veil of the sanctuary seven times, applied to horns of the incense altar in the Holy Place, and the remainder was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offerings. The fat of the bull is removed and burned as with the peace offering. The rest of the animal is taken to a ritually clean place outside the camp and incinerated. The same procedure is followed for the unintentional sin of the whole congregation.

The fact that the anointed high priest could unintentionally sin against God’s commands for worship reminded Israel of their own sinful nature, imperfection, and need for God’s forgiveness. Seeing the imperfection of Israel’s high priests, the author of Hebrews wrote:

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever” (Heb 7:26-28).

Every anointed high priest—each with the weakness of sin— looked forward to the anointed high priest who would not need sacrifices for any of His own sins but who would make perfect atonement for all sins by shedding His blood on the cross so that He might apply His blood to all who believe and are baptized.

Let us pray: We give You thanks, Lord Jesus, for being our sinless high priest, making perfect atonement for all our sins and sprinkling us with Your blood through faith. Amen.

Leviticus 3:1-17 NKJV

3 ‘When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. ² And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. ³ Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire to the Lord. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, ⁴ the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; ⁵ and Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is on the wood that is on the fire, as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

⁶ ‘If his offering as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord is of the flock, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. ⁷ If he offers a lamb as his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord. ⁸ And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.

⁹ ‘Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as an offering made by fire to the Lord, its fat and the whole fat tail which he shall remove close to the backbone. And the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, ¹⁰ the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; ¹¹ and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

¹² ‘And if his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord. ¹³ He shall lay his hand on its head and kill it before the tabernacle of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. ¹⁴ Then he shall offer from it his offering, as an offering made by fire to the Lord. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, ¹⁵ the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; ¹⁶ and the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma; all the fat is the Lord’s.

¹⁷ ‘This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”

The third of the voluntary offerings is the peace offering. The peace offering established and confirmed peace between God and the one offering the sacrifice. The blood of the animal is sprinkled around the altar, while only the fat of the animal is sacrificed on the altar. The Lord will speak about the rest of the animal—which was not to be burned on the altar but eaten—in chapter 7. For now, the point of the legislation is the perpetual statute that endures as long as sacrifices endure: “You shall eat neither fat nor blood” (17).

The sacrifice’s blood belonged to the Lord since it was what He required to make atonement for sins against Mosaic law. The blood signified the blood of Christ which He would shed on the cross as the sacrifice which atoned for the sins of the whole world. As the peace offering established peace between God and the one offering the sacrifice, peace with God is only accomplished through the blood of Christ. We partake of the peace Christ earned when we believe the gospel that for His sake God forgives all our sins and pronounces us righteous.

The fat of the animal was burnt on the altar “as food,” though the Lord does not eat (Psalm 50:12-13). The fat of the animal was the best and tastiest part of the animal. The one bringing the peace offering wanted to bring His best to God in thankfulness for the peace God established with him. This is what Abel did when he “brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat” (Gen 4:4). Abel’s faith—which was thankful for God’s mercies—brought the best of the flock to the Lord. The fat of the offering signified how those who receive peace with God through Christ’s blood will offer God their best. All our fatness—that is, all that is good in us—we offer to God in thanksgiving. After all, even that goodness is from God and not from us. We give thanks to God, not only with our lips, but with our lives, praising God with our words and with our works. Let us pray:   Fill our hearts with thanksgiving and gratitude, O Lord, as we meditate on Your atoning sacrifice for our sins and the peace You earn with God the Father, so that we offer to You this day our best in thought, word, and deed. Amen.

Leviticus 2:1-16 NKJV

1 Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.

³ ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. ⁴ Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. ⁵ He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁶ And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. ⁷ The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. ⁸ Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; ⁹ but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

¹⁰ ‘If his offering is of the flocks—of the sheep or of the goats—as a burnt sacrifice, he shall bring a male without blemish. ¹¹ He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. ¹² And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; ¹³ but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴ ‘And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the Lord is of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons. ¹⁵ The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar. ¹⁶ And he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes. ¹⁷ Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

The second voluntary offering Israel could bring was grain offerings. The grain offering could consist of fine flour mixed with oil and incense. It could be mixed with oil, baked, then anointed with oil. It could not contain leaven or honey. Both ingredients would make the bread go bad sooner. Every offering was to be seasoned with salt as a preservative. In each type of grain offering, the priest put a portion of it on the altar which made a sweet aroma to the LORD. The rest belonged to the High Priest and his sons for their sustenance.

As the burnt offerings signified Christ, so do the grain offerings. As fine flour is pure, so Christ was innocent of all sin. As the offering could be baked into bread, so Christ is the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35). Christ was anointed, not with oil, but the Holy Spirit (Psalm 45:7; Jn 3:34). He was without the leaven of sin and falsehood. His teaching was sweet like honey, but without the harmful sweetness of insincerity. His teaching was a salt, savory to the soul and able to preserve men into eternity. His offering on the altar of the cross a sweet-smelling aroma to God the Father, and His priests—all believers (1 Peter 2:9)—partake in His sacrifice by faith, for faith is how people feast on Christ and live forever.

The grain offerings are also a picture of the new life which the Holy Spirit begins in believers. All who feast on Christ by faith receive the forgiveness of sins, so that in God’s sight they are pure and innocent of all sin. Whoever feasts on Christ by believing in Him receives the anointing of the Holy Spirit so that by the Spirit’s power they daily get rid of the leaven of sin from their hearts. They deny themselves the harmful sweetness of sinful pleasures, choosing instead the true sweetness of living according to God’s word. The one who feasts on Christ by faith is salted so that he does not rot but perseveres in faith despite adversity and trials for Christ’s sake. By feasting on the Bread of Life each day, the believer’s life is a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.

Let us pray: Grant, O Lord, that we partake of You each day by faith, so that we may enjoy the forgiveness of our sins, live Christians lives, and persevere unto the end and be saved. Amen.

Leviticus 1:1-17 NKJV

1 Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.

³ ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. ⁴ Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. ⁵ He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁶ And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. ⁷ The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood in order on the fire. ⁸ Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; ⁹ but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

¹⁰ ‘If his offering is of the flocks—of the sheep or of the goats—as a burnt sacrifice, he shall bring a male without blemish. ¹¹ He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. ¹² And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; ¹³ but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴ ‘And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the Lord is of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons. ¹⁵ The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar. ¹⁶ And he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes. ¹⁷ Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus may not seem like Christian devotional material since it deals primarily with the public and private worship life of Old Testament Israel. Christ has fulfilled not one, but all the regulations put forth by the Lord in Leviticus. It is precisely that reason Christians can use the material in Leviticus as devotional material. Every bit of it is a picture of Christ and His work for us. It is also a picture of the Christian life since St. Paul exhorts to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service (Rom 12:1). Seeing Christ’s work and our response in the legislation for ancient Israel’s worship makes this book an encouragement to faith and love.

Leviticus begins with the burnt offering. This offering was offered voluntarily by Israelites when they had great concern and wanted the Lord to deal favorably with them. The animal—whether from the herd or flock—was to be male and without blemish. The person offering it was to place his hand on the animal’s head as a sign that he offered it willingly, that he offered it as his substitute for his violations against Mosaic law, and that he looked forward to the Messiah. The priests slaughtered the animal, arranged its parts on the altar, and washed its innards before immolating it. The ritual for offering a bird was a bit different because of its smaller size. The burnt offering produced a sweet aroma to the Lord. The Lord accepted the sacrifice. He also accepted the person who brought the sacrifice and showed him His grace and favor.

This animal pictured the coming Christ, who would be born a male and without the blemish of sin, even the inward parts—His heart and mind—would be clean from sin. He offered Himself on the altar of the cross as the substitute for all mankind’s sins, so that God accepts all who trust His Son’s atoning death. By faith in Christ’s sacrifice, we have peace with God and access to Him in prayer. Enjoying God’s favor, we present ourselves as living sacrifices, hearts and minds cleansed by faith in Christ, dedicated to God’s service.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help us to meditate on Your sacrifice for us through the picture of the burnt offering, that with sins forgiven, we voluntarily live as living sacrifices to You. Amen.

Psalm 79:1-13 NKJV

79 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
² The dead bodies of Your servants
They have given as food for the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
³ Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
⁴ We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.

⁵ How long, Lord?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
⁶ Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
⁷ For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.

⁸ Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
⁹ Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!
¹⁰ Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight
The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.

¹¹ Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
¹² And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.

¹³ So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.

Asaph laments the destruction of the Lord’s temple and the desolation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Lord allowed it as punishment for Judah’s sins. The psalmist asks God for tender mercy, atonement for sins, and restoration. He asks, not because Judah deserves it­— Judah only deserves wrath and punishment for her sins—but for the glory of God’s name. Without mercy and deliverance for God’s people and vengeance upon their enemies, the nations would continue to mock the Lord and imagine they can act as lords and masters over the sheep of the Lord’s pasture. He asks for God to take vengeance on their enemies and promises to give thanks to God and teach the next generation to praise Him. He asks God to avenge the blood of His servants who had been killed. He also prays that God would return sevenfold the derision with which Judah’s neighbors had derided the Lord. God’s people—the sheep of God’s pasture—look to their Good Shepherd to avenge them and God’s honor.

Asaph’s psalm is still applicable to God’s people in the New Testament. God’s people of the New Testament can still pray this psalm against those who persecute the church. When the church’s enemies physically demolish churches and murder Christians, we pray that God has mercy and avenges His martyrs. When false teachers arise in the church and harm the souls of God’s people by mixing the world’s priorities with God’s word, we pray that God avenges the sheep of His pasture by providing faithful shepherds who will preach God’s word in its truth and purity. But never does Christ’s church take matters into her own hands. She waits upon the one who has said, “Vengeance is mine” (Deut. 32:35). God’s people look to Him for their protection, their nourishment, and every good thing just as sheep look to their shepherd. We trust that although we do not deserve any good thing because of our sins, God still will act in mercy toward His church for her benefit and for the glory of His name.

Let us pray: Defend Your Church, O Lord, from all who rise up against her. Preserve us from false teaching and grant us mercy so that whatever we suffer for Your name’s sake, we suffer patiently to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.