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October 1 | Leviticus 1 ISG Offering for the Senses

Leviticus 1 (ESV)
1 The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting…4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering…5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar…6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces…And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, …And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.14 “If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.


The Text in Context
Leviticus continues the story of the book of Exodus. Eleven and a half months after the exodus, Israel completes the tabernacle, and the “glory of the Lord” takes up residence there (Exod. 40:1, 17, 34–38). Leviticus instructs Israelites on using that tabernacle for burnt offerings (Lev. 1), grain offerings (Lev. 2), fellowship offerings (Lev. 3), sin offerings (Lev. 4:1–5:13), and guilt offerings (Lev. 5:14–6:7). It then instructs priests about these same offerings (Lev. 6:8–7:38). All this underscores the importance of sacrificial worship for ancient Israel.
Historical and Cultural Background
Israel’s neighbors conducted animal sacrifices similar to Israel’s. The prophets of Baal in their contest with Elijah prepared a burnt offering (1 Kings 18). Mesha of Moab offered his son as a burnt offering (2 Kings 3:27). Ugarit in the thirteenth century BC utilized burnt offerings, labeled shrp (“[totally] burnt”). Worshipers sacrificed fellowship offerings on altars to pagan gods (2 Chron. 34:4). Though disputed, the cognate for “fellowship offering” probably is used for sacrifices at Ugarit and in Phoenician/Punic.1 Archaeologists found what appears to be an altar dating to the Bronze Age at Canaanite Megiddo.
Food gifts contributed to the “care and feeding of the gods,” gifts that gods ate and drank (Deut. 32:37–38), though Mesopotamia lacked Israel’s “blood consciousness”—blood rituals or a sense of blood’s power.2 But since Yahweh does not actually eat or drink offerings (Ps. 50:12–13), the sacrifices of Leviticus do not feed him in the way pagans thought they were sustaining their gods. Nonetheless, the text uses the language of sacrifice as God’s food (Lev. 3:11; 21:6; cf. Mal. 1:7) or as a “food offering” (Lev. 1:9; 2:2; 3:3; 7:5). The tabernacle’s table, plates, dishes, cups, bowls, and bread set before God’s presence (Exod. 25:23–30; 1 Kings 7:48–60) have the look of a royal banquet. Symbolically and metaphorically, the sacrifices appear to be cultivating Israel’s relationship with God by presenting him with covenant meals (cf. Lev. 24:5–9: “lasting covenant”).
Theological Insights
The burnt offering is intended to make God favorable toward the worshiper so that he will grant the worshiper’s requests. It can also be used to quell God’s anger. When human wickedness brings God’s wrath on humankind through the flood (Gen. 6:5–7), God finds Noah’s burnt offering a “pleasing” or “soothing” aroma (Gen. 8:20–21; cf. Lev. 1:9 above) that pacifies his anger and makes him inclined to grant favor. The burnt offering can also be used primarily to seek God’s favor when no particular sin is in view (see below). All of this shows God’s receptiveness to human petition.
Leviticus 1:9 tells us that the overall goal of the burnt offering is to provide a gift of pleasing aroma to the Lord. The word for “gift” here is ʾiššeh, which is usually understood to mean something like “an offering made by fire” (NIV), derived from the similar word ʾeš (“fire”). However, the idea that ʾiššeh means “gift” is suggested by its close relation to a word in Ugaritic (iṯt), which is from the same Semitic family of languages as Hebrew, that means “gift.”11 More significantly, the meaning “gift” fits Hebrew usage in that the word applies to sacrificial gifts of food to the Lord, such as burnt offerings (Num. 28:2) and wellbeing offerings (Lev. 3:11, 16), but not purification offerings (so-called “sin offerings”), even though they were burned on the altar. Purification offerings were token payments of “debt” rather than gifts (see comments on Lev. 4).
Through rituals the Israelites could enjoy limited interaction with God. They could come to the sanctuary, the “Tent of Meeting” (1:1, 3, 5, etc.), and give something tangible to him to express their devotion, thanks, or desire to receive forgiveness. In the case of the burnt offering, they could give him a token food gift (v. 9) and receive his gracious response of expiation, that is, removal of evil (Piel of kpr, usually translated “make atonement”; v. 4).

Financial Report for the month of July.

Giving: 8,905.00
Expenses: 10,434.88
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Needed: -1,529.88

Financial Report for the month of August.

Giving: $ 6,730.45
Expenses: $ 8,962.64
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Needed: -$ 2,232.19

References:
Sprinkle, Joe. Leviticus and Numbers (Teach the Text Commentary Series). Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 2015.

Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

Guide Questions

1.Identify the offering, its requirements and conditions involved. (vs.1-9)
2.In what ways the offering from the flock is similar to the offering from the herd?
3.So if it’s obvious God doesn't need the food (Psalm 50:7-15), what is the need to offer?
4.Read verses 9, 13 and 17 and focus on the phrase, "pleasing aroma to God.” How do you think Paul used the concept of Leviticus 1 in comparison to how our lives become the sacrifice in Romans 12:1, Ephesians 5:2 and Psalm 40:6-8?
5.If our lives are what really matters to God, how can our lives be a pleasing aroma to God? Micah 6:6-8 and Isaiah 1:1-10

Prayer
1.Pray for each other that we may continue growing in our faith and knowledge of God.
2.Pray for continued passion and dedication to fellowship, study of the word, and fruitfulness.
3.Pray for specific prayer requests.
4.Pray for a new place of worship for 2024.


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