4. Ritual of the Burnt Offering

Introduction

This lesson will present the completion of the ritual of the burnt offering and then proceed to explain the way in which Christ fulfilled the typology of that sacrifice. Then further application will be made of how the burnt offering has some implications for Christians today.

Let us review the stages of the ritual that were studied in the last lesson. Stage one explained the presentation. It was at this stage that the worshiper presented himself unto God as a gift. “I want to give myself to God.” Simultaneously he presented to the Lord the animal that would be the stand-in for the act of presentation. From that moment forward the animal belonged to God.

In stage two, the worshiper laid his hand, in Hebrew actually “leaned upon,” his substitute victim. That was only symbolic transference of sin, although not literally so. Hebrews 10:4 assures us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. There was, therefore, no literal transfer of sins to this substitute victim, only symbolic. In that way the Hebrew manifested his faith that God would provide the atoning sacrifice that would eventually handle the sin problem.

In stage three, the worshiper was required to slay his own sacrifice. He did the killing because it was in that way that he manifested his acceptance of God’s judgment against his sin. He so agreed with heaven’s judgment against his violations of heaven’s law that he personally was required to carry out the sentence that God had imposed upon his transgression.

The Stages of the Ritual
Stage Four: The Sprinkling of the Blood

We are now ready to go into the study of stage four. The worshiper has gone as far as he can go. From this point forward he must depend on the priest to intervene and carry on the ritual necessary to obtain atonement for his sin and to complete the rest of the sacrificial ritual. The sprinkling of the blood is done by the priest himself. In the Hebrew tongue the word “to sprinkle” is zaraq, and it literally means “to splash.” The worshiper depends on his sacrificial animal as his substitute and on the priest to carry on the rituals essential for the atoning process in compliance with the law.

As Christians today, we, by faith, lay our hands upon Christ as He is hanging on the cross and literally, not symbolically, but literally transfer to him our sin. Then we depend on Him as the sacrifice and Priest to carry out the atoning process through His blood. We also depend on Him to complete the priestly function of sprinkling the blood in the appropriate fashion toward God.

It would be beneficial to us, from a spiritual point of view, to understand that literally we are responsible for the death of Christ. We must agree with God’s judgement against our sin in Jesus Christ. We must agree with Jesus’ death to cover our sins to the point that we would be willing to join the mob in Pilate’s courtyard and cry with the Jews: “Let Him be crucified!” Knowing what we now know, we would have to add our voice to the condemnation of Christ and so agree that our sin was so grievous in the eyes of God that it literally demanded the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We must agree to the point that we would be willing to drive the nails into his hands and cast the spear into His side to bring about His death. There is a literal way in which our sins were responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross of Calvary.

The use of blood in the sprinkling ceremonials varies according to the different sacrifices, depending on the prominence that the element of atonement is given in the sacrificial ceremonial. In some of the sacrifices the blood is sprinkled before the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. Atonement would be central in that sacrifice. For there was a very close, intimate relationship with God as the source of forgiveness. On the Day of Atonement the blood was taken into the sanctuary.

In the burnt offering, peace offering, and trespass offering, atonement was a marginal consideration in the sacrifice because there were other stages that were exalted to primary position. The atonement concept gives way to the primary purpose of the sacrifice: that of the consecration of the worshiper’s life to God.

Thus the blood was sprinkled by the priest on the sides of the altar, the lower part of the altar of burnt offerings in the courtyard. In the sacrifices where the blood was applied to the sides of the altar of burnt offerings, the purpose was to confirm that atonement was not the central point of the sacrifice. In the sin offering and on the great Day of Atonement, the sprinkling of blood is central because atonement is the central, primary purpose of the sacrifice. However, it is secondary to consecration in the sacrifice of the burnt offering. Therefore, blood is sprinkled on the lower half of the altar of burnt offerings, round about. That means on all of the sides.

The reason the blood was sprinkled on the altar is explained in Exodus 20:24. God instructed the children of Israel to build the altar. Then He said, “. . . I will come to you and bless you.” The blessing under discussion quite evidently was atonement for their sin. It is quite clear that the marginal aspect of atonement is indicated by the use of the blood.

Blood stood for life. In Leviticus 17:11, the life of the creature is seen to be in the blood. “. . . and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar . . . ,” i.e. for your souls. It is because of the life that is given that the atonement is accepted. When the Passover lamb had been slain and its blood had been sprinkled around the doorposts of their homes, God told the children of Israel: “. . . when I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). So in the burnt offering, quite evidently that same concept is present, “. . . when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

Stage Five: Skinning or Flaying the Animal

After the sprinkling of the blood, the priest would then “flay the sacrifice”—that is, remove the skin. The only sacrifice where the skin was not removed was that of the Red Heifer. She was sacrificed outside the camp, not on the altar of burnt offerings. She was totally burned, skin and all, and her ashes were used for the cleansing of ceremonial contamination.

There are several possible explanations as to why the skin was removed. Some have supposed a remote analogy to God slaying the first animal and making garments of its skin for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Thus God covered their nakedness. They suppose there might be some kind of symbolic tie-in between the Eden episode and this sacrifice. There is one major problem with such an unverifiable hypothesis. In the burnt offering sacrifice, the skin was not given to the sinner, as in the case of Adam and Eve, but to the officiating priest according to the dictates of Leviticus 7:8: “The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself.”

Others have suggested that it simply means that Christ covers us with His righteousness when we are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27). Once again, the same problem as above remains, for it was not the sinner who received the skin but the priest.

My personal conviction about the skinning of the sacrifices is that the animal was to be burned on the altar. Removing the skin would eliminate the stench of burning hair from the temple courtyard. It would be quite evident to us that after a series of sacrifices, both of animals and of birds, the burning of hair and feathers would create an odious smell and would make the Tabernacle a place that would not be at all pleasing to the priest who had to serve there. So I believe that they simply removed the skin in order to eliminate the stench of burning hair.

Stage Six: Dividing the Sacrifice into Two Parts

In stage six, the priest divides the sacrifice into two distinct parts. He divides it right down the middle. One-half of the sacrifice is placed on his left side and one-half on his right side. Quite evidently, this is the Semitic or Hebrew way of making a covenant. When two Hebrew people wanted to make an agreement, maybe selling a piece of land, each of them wanted to guarantee to the other the fulfillment of the conditions of the covenant that they were making. They would ritualistically divide an animal, and then literally both of them would pass between the two parts. As they did, each would vow to the other before God with these words: “May God do unto me as we have done unto this animal. May God divide me down the middle and feed me to the vultures if I break this covenant.”

In this way the Hebrew committed himself to covenant-keeping responsibility. There is an example of this type of covenant in Genesis 15. God was ready to make an agreement with Abraham, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them . . . So shall your offspring be” (verse 5). Abraham wanted some kind of confirmation on that. It was not that Abraham lacked in faith. God told him to take some of the animals that had been prescribed in the later verses of Genesis 15, to divide them down the middle, and to lay each part one over against the other. Then we read that a deep sleep came upon Abraham that evening. When the sun was set, Abraham had fallen asleep and “. . . a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham . . .” (Genesis 15:17-18). The flaming torch that passed between the pieces was symbolic of the fact that God was involving Himself in this covenant-making process.

The animals that were required were a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a young pigeon (Genesis 15:9). These are the same genera of animals later required in Leviticus. God commanded Abraham to cut the animals in two parts and he “. . . arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half” (Genesis 15:10). By cutting them in two and by passing through the pieces, it was symbolic of God’s covenant-making purpose before Abraham.

In Jeremiah 34:17-21, God had called Israel to account for their sins and their deviation from the covenant they had made before God. Therefore he makes the statement in verses 17-20 of Jeremiah 34,

“Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow countrymen. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the LORD—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make your abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces. The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.”

This system of making covenants underscored the sober, serious obligations made in such agreements. There was a slight variation in the cutting of the animal in the ceremonial of the burnt offering. Normally the process would be done to create a covenant. In this sacrifice, it is clear that the worshiper is already in covenant relationship with God and could not, therefore, be seen to originate that relation. It was simply the God-given ritual that allowed the worshiper to renew his covenant commitment to God. There seemed to be no literal passing between the parts by the worshiper himself, but at least mentally and by faith he did pass between the parts to reconfirm his commitment to keep the covenant and conditions of the covenant that God had made with him and he with God.

Stage Seven: The Innards and Legs Were Washed

Stage Eight: The Sacrificial Burning On the Altar

Stage eight is the central part of the ritual. This final action is the sacrificial burning of the animal’s body on the altar of burnt offerings. The priest would lay the wood and then the sacrifice on the altar as an offering made by fire unto Jehovah God. Of course, the worshiper was still an observer at the ceremonial unfolding. Mentally, devotionally and religiously he personalized the whole ritual to himself. It was he who was being given to God!

Quite evidently, the burnt offering was symbolic of the sacrifice of Christ. We need to understand that Christ on the Cross does not represent the burnt offering. Calvary is a sin offering; it is not the burnt offering. Therefore, it is clear that the sacrifice of the burnt offering rather involved the entire life of Jesus as He presented Himself as one continuous burnt offering to Jehovah God.

The Continual Burnt Offering
Continual Burnt Offering for the Nation

There was by Divine command in Leviticus 6:8-13 the rituals governing the “continual burnt offering.” Burnt offerings were offered not only by the individuals but were also the sacrifices on a daily basis for the whole nation. They were to offer one burnt offering every morning and another every evening. The priest would supply the sacrifice, and according to Leviticus 6, it was necessary for them to present the offering upon the altar on a daily basis and to keep the fires burning. Some three times in Leviticus 6:9,12 and 13 God said, “Do not let the fires of the continual burnt offering go out,” because that would indicate that the worship, devotion and commitment of the nation to God no longer existed. That would mean that they were no longer worshiping and consecrating themselves to God.

Three times in that context God said, “the fire must be kept burning.” Twice He said, “it must not go out.” That indicates that God intended for Israel to see its responsibility. As the fires of that national, continual burnt offering ascended to the Father each morning, the spiritually minded Hebrew would personally identify with it and make a vow in his mind through his faith as he would ask God, “Would you please let that sacrifice that is being consumed upon the altar of the burnt offering in the courtyard of the Tabernacle early in the morning, represent me? I want my entire day to be devoted to you.” Then he would renew his prayer in the evening sacrifice.

There are some differences in the continual burnt offering. The priest would provide the sacrifice for the entire nation, and it was intended that this sacrifice be a constant reminder to the children of Israel of their obligation to devote themselves to God and renew their commitments to Him. It was to be a constant expression of their worship of God and a reminder of the privilege that they had in their fellowship with Him. A spiritually minded Jew would easily identify with the sacrifice of the continual burnt offering on a daily basis.

The ritual of the sacrifice of the burnt offering was basically the same with some significant exceptions. There was no laying on of the hands, and therefore no symbolic transfer of sin. That just simply tells us that marginal element of atonement was eliminated from the continual burnt offering. This gave prominence to the concept that its purpose was primarily for consecration and not atonement. The animal was provided by the priest and by him offered on behalf of the nation. The priest carried on the ceremonials without involvement of other individuals.

There were times when God despised and rejected burnt offerings of the children of Israel. In Isaiah 1:11 and again in Amos 5:21, God said some amazing things about these sacrifices that He had ordained. He said, “I hate them. I despise them. I reject them.” Basically, the reason that God rejected their burnt offerings was because the whole ceremonial of the burnt offering indicated individual or collective devotion to God. However, in these two contexts there is a nation that is carrying on the external ceremonials, but internally they have no devotion to God. They are spiritually committed to the serving of other gods. Therefore, God rejected that burnt offerings on the part of Israel because they were hypocritical to the core. In Isaiah 1:10, God called Israel by the very uncomplimentary names of “Sodom and Gomorrah,” indicating the wide-spread idolatry and immorality of the nation. Therefore in verse 12 God says, “When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?” Then He proceeds to denounce the hypocrisy of their burnt offerings. Such offerings speak of deep devotion to God, but their lives spoke of total disregard for God and for His law.

Fulfillment of the Burnt Offering in Jesus Christ

Now we proceed to the interpretation of the sacrifice of Christ as a fulfillment of the typology contained in the burnt offering. The Old Testament shadow must correspond to its New Testament reality. Hebrews 10:1-2 says: “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” These verses insist on the “shadow to reality” relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament sacrifices.

There are a number of other passages in the New Testament that present Jesus as a continual burnt offering to God. From Matthew 3:17, God is heard to say of Jesus: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Again on the Mount of Transfiguration that same Divine appraisal of Jesus is given, as recorded in Matthew 17:5. The words “well pleased” suggest the concept of a “sweet savor” devotion God found in Jesus.

Jesus devoted Himself, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). Such consecration to God was characteristic of the entire life of Christ. In John 17:19 Jesus said in prayer to the Father: “For them (the apostles) I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” In other words: “I consecrate myself to you so that the apostles may have a living example of the total devotion every man owes to God.”

There is a beautiful passage in Ephesians 5:1-2 where the apostle Paul makes mention of the fact that Jesus is a burnt offering sacrifice unto God Himself. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” The terms “fragrant offering” and “sacrifice” are terminology that have to do with worship sacrifices, and they come fresh from the pages of Leviticus. It is, therefore, evident that Jesus presented Himself constantly as the continual burnt offering to God, never reserving for Himself any service and never committing a sin.

In reality the burnt offering of Christ covered 32 years of His life, and that made it possible for Him then to ascend the cross of Calvary as the sin offering without blemish and without spot. He was pure because He never allowed the “fires on His altar of devotion” to go out; He kept them burning always! Day after day and month after month, Jesus gave Himself completely to Jehovah God. Hebrews 10:7 contains a citation from the Psalm 40:6 and 8: “Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.’” Such was always the ultimate purpose and the consuming desire of Jesus Christ. In John 2:17, the disciples remembered that it was written of Him, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” That is what the Hebrew language says in Psalm 69:9 from which John quotes. Jesus’ entire life is the fulfillment of all the shadow sacrifice of the burnt offering. He placed Himself on the altar of burnt offerings and consecrated and incensed Himself, to God without interruption, and the fires of His zeal for Jehovah God never terminated.

Christians Expected to Respond in Like Mind
We Are to Imitate Christ

We Are to Present Our Bodies

There is a beautiful passage in Romans 12:1. Paul said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” The Greek word for “offer” conserves the meaning of “pleasing to God,” which means sweet savor or fragrant odor. Such burnt offering of Christians is seen as their “spiritual act of worship.”

Christians are expected to imitate Christ and give their lives in devotion to God. Paul added in Romans 12:2 that we must not conform to the world because that would taint the sacrifice. Christians are expected to ascend the altar as an expression of praise and to allow the fires of their zeal and consecration for Jehovah God to ascend continually to Him as their part in the fulfillment of the typology found in the great burnt offering sacrifice in the book of Leviticus.