The Laws of the Sacrifices

Leviticus 6:9 (ESV) “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.

Leviticus 6:25 (ESV) “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy.
Leviticus 7:1 (ESV) “This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy.

Leviticus 7:11 (ESV) “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the LORD.

Leviticus 7:29 (ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

Leviticus 7 has to be one of the most challenging portions of Scripture. How do these ancient laws regarding sacrificial procedures apply to us today as Christians? The Israelites were under strict obligations on how to offer what to whom (God or the priests), what they could eat (Peace offerings), and how to handle the meat of the animal.

One thing becomes very clear, God does not ask them to sacrifice arbitrarily nor to do so for their own benefit. The meat of the offerings, after the best of the animal was burned and offered up to God, was given to the priests. The blood was completely drained out of the meat and totally forbidden for consumption. Today, Kosher meat is a modern day remnant of this practice still in effect for many Jews. 

But there is obviously more to these rules than simply how to go about ancient sacrifices. Christ is present in each and every one. And notice the order here in Leviticus 6-7:

Leviticus 7:37 (ESV) 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,

He is the true burnt offering, passing through the fire of affliction for our benefits.

He is the true grain offering - offering His body as our Bread from heaven.

He is the true sin offering - bearing our sins on the cross.

He is the true guilt offering - being condemned for what we have done.
He is the truly ordained priest - who lives forever.

He is the true peace offering - who proclaims and becomes our peace with God. 

Without Jesus, these ancient practices really fade into history. But fulfilled in Jesus, the map out the work of the Cross on our behalf. The reasons God was so specific on the offerings for Israel's worship was because Jesus would be a specific person, appointed by God to do a specific work on our behalf. He did not die simply to show us a valiant way to live! He did not die to teach us about selflessness. Those are fine lessons, they are NOT the Gospel. Through the ONCE and FOR ALL sacrifice of sins, Jesus spares us the wrath of God, removes our sin, guilt and shame, makes peace and brings us into relationship with God whereby we can FEED on His Word forever. 

Amen!

Ephesians 2:14–18 (ESV) For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.