Today’s passage: Leviticus 1
Helpful thoughts:
- From the ESV Study Bible:
- “Leviticus should be considered a continuation of Exodus. The second part of Exodus is devoted to building the tabernacle, the purpose of which is to manifest the Lord’s glory among the people. The entire content of Leviticus was given less than a month after the construction of the tabernacle, between the first month of the year and the second month of the year following the Exodus from Egypt.”
- The first several chapters of Leviticus will detail five major offerings, the first of which is the burnt offering.
- The burnt offering was given to accompany prayers from God’s people (Either for needs or for praise).
- The offering (The animal sacrificed) served to atone for the person offering the prayer. The laying of the hand on the animal served as a way of showing the animal’s “standing in the place” of the person.
Questions to consider:
- What did the need of a burnt offering for a person to come before the Lord teach about God’s holiness and justice? Also of his mercy and grace?
- How would this picture have encouraged those who faithfully practiced it at the tabernacle to take their lives and their prayers seriously? What room is there for messing around in these offerings? How might they cause a person to live circumspectly?
- How do we as Christians (Under the New Covenant) approach the “throne of grace” in prayer (Hebrews 4:14-16)? What offering was needed to grant us access? How can this encourage us to continually, faithfully pray?