Christ in the Old Testament: A 5-Day Advent Reading PlanНамуна

Atonement Sacrifices

In Leviticus, we are shown multiple types of sacrifices – a burnt offering, a grain offering, a fellowship or peace offering, a sin offering, and a restitution or guilt offering. Let’s look a little more at the sacrifices and how Christ fulfilled them in His atonement.

Burnt offering

The burnt offering was of an unblemished bull, ram, a male goat, turtledoves, or pigeons. This was a voluntary sacrifice, signifying propitiation for sin and complete surrender, devotion, and commitment to God. In Hebrews 9:12, by His own shed blood on the cross, Jesus gave Himself completely for us and obtained our eternal redemption.

Grain offering

This offering was of unleavened grain, fine flour, or bread offered alongside olive oil, frankincense, and salt. This was also a voluntary offering, signifying thanksgiving for first fruits. In John 12:24, Jesus describes His sacrificial death as a service and a blessing, like the death of a grain for the sake of producing a large crop.

Fellowship or peace offering

This was an offering of any unblemished animal from the herd or flock. Symbolizing fellowship with God, this was another voluntary offering. We learn in Ephesians that Jesus’s blood reconciles sinners to one another and to God; He is our peace.

Sin offering

This mandatory offering, made by one who had sinned unintentionally or was unclean and was seeking purification, was an offering of unblemished animals depending on role and economic status. Hebrews 13 tells us that the sin offering burnt outside the camp prefigured Jesus’s death on the cross outside the gates of Jerusalem to sanctify the people.

Restitution or guilt offering

This mandatory offering was of an unblemished ram. It was made by a person who had either deprived another of his rights or had desecrated something holy. But Jesus’s bloody death cleanses the conscience of a sinner who trusts in Him (Hebrews 9).

Seeing how Leviticus foreshadows the effects of Christ’s sacrifice fills us with awe and appreciation. Sit with these feelings and reflect on the enormity of God’s salvific plan and the control He has over all things.