Key Verses: Leviticus 1:3, 1:4, 1:9
The LORD calls to Moses from the newly filled tent of meeting and begins to give the law of the offerings, starting with the burnt offering (the olah, “that which ascends”). A worshiper who brings an animal — a bull, a sheep or goat, or, for the poor, a bird — lays his hand on its head so that it is accepted “to make atonement for him,” identifying himself with the victim that dies in his place. The animal is slaughtered, its blood thrown against the altar, and the whole of it is burned on the altar as “a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” Unlike the other offerings, none of the burnt offering is eaten; it is given entirely to God.
The burnt offering opens the book because it expresses the heart of worship: complete surrender and atonement. The laying on of the hand teaches substitution — the innocent dies for the guilty — while the total consumption of the sacrifice pictures a life wholly consecrated to God. Paul draws on this image when he urges believers to present their bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1), and the offering finds its fulfillment in Christ, who “gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
Key Terms & Words:
- עֹלָה (olah) - Leviticus 1:3 - “Burnt offering,” literally “that which goes up”; the whole animal ascends to God in smoke
- קָרְבָּן (qorban) - Leviticus 1:2 - “Offering,” from a root meaning “to bring near”; a gift that brings the worshiper near to God
- כָּפַר (kaphar) - Leviticus 1:4 - “To make atonement,” to cover or ransom, so the offerer is accepted in place of the victim
Cross-References:
- Genesis 22:2 - Abraham told to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, and a ram provided in his place
- Romans 12:1 - Believers presented as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God
- Ephesians 5:2 - Christ gave Himself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God
- Hebrews 10:5-10 - Christ’s body offered once for all, doing the will of God where sacrifices could not
Discussion Questions:
- What does the laying on of the offerer’s hand teach about how atonement works?
- Why is it significant that the burnt offering is consumed entirely, with nothing kept back?
- How does Paul’s call to be “a living sacrifice” grow out of the meaning of the burnt offering?