Leviticus Chapter 1 Continued

Leviticus 1:4 "And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him."

"Put his hand upon the head": This symbolic gesture pictured the transfer of the sacrificers sin to the sacrificial animal and was likely done with a prayer of repentance and request for forgiveness (compare Psalm 51:18-19).

"Make atonement" The word means "cover". The psalmist defines it by saying, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32:1). Theologically, the "atonement" of the Old Testament covered sin only temporarily, but it did not eliminate sin or later judgment (Heb. 10:4). The one time sacrifice of Jesus Christ fully atoned for sin, thus satisfying God's wrath forever and insuring eternal salvation (compare Heb. 9:12; 1 John 2:2). Even to those who put saving faith in God for their redemption before Christ's death on the cross (compare Rom. 3:25-26; Heb. 9:15).

"For him": This was a substitutionary sacrifice that prefigured the ultimate substitute, Jesus Christ (compare Isaiah Chapter 53, see note on 2 Cor. 5:21).

When the person making the offering puts his hand on the animal's head, it is as if he is placing his sin on the animal. This is exactly what happened when Jesus took our sin upon His body on the cross. In both instances, there is a substitute for the real sinner. Atonement is an interesting word. It means (to cover). It also means to cancel. The difference in the animal's blood being shed for the sin of the person and Jesus shedding His blood for our sin, is covered in these meanings. The animal's blood cannot do away with sin; it can only cover sin. The sin is still there, just covered by the blood. There cannot be a clear conscience following. In the case of the blood of Jesus, His blood cancels our sin out. There is no longer any sin and we have a clear conscience toward God.

Hebrews 10:4 "For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."

Jesus took our sin upon His body on the cross that we might take His righteousness on. The most beautiful statement in verse 4 above is (it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him). Praise God, He accepted the substitute, and there is no need for further sacrifice for our sin. Jesus paid it all.

Leviticus 1:5 "And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that [is by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

"He shall kill": Making vivid and dramatic the consequences of sin, the person offering the sacrifice killed and butchered the animal (compare verse 6).

"Aaron's sons": This refers to the immediate descendants of Aaron, i.e., Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (compare Exodus 28:1). In the beginning, there were 5 priests, including Aaron, who served as the High-Priest.

"Sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar": The slaying of the animal set forth symbolically the transfer of sin and guilt from the offeror to the sacrifice itself. The animal bore the penalty for sin, for "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). The sacrifices represented the final and efficacious sacrifice of Jesus, shedding His blood to make full and complete atonement for sin (see Psalm. 40:6).

We look at the killing of this animal and realize it was necessary to reconcile the person to God. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sin.

Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

The first step into salvation is repenting of sin. Just inside the door of the tabernacle was the brazen altar. This brazen altar was the altar symbolizing judgement, since it was made of bronze. We must first realize we are guilty of sin and then ask forgiveness for the sin on the way to God. The life is in the blood. This blood must flow to bring us life.

Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul."

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Leviticus 1:6 "And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces."

Flay in the verse above, means to spread out hostilely or to strip. The entire burnt offering symbolized what the Father God does to sin. God the Father cannot look upon sin; His wrath burns it up. This is why at one moment during the crucifixion, Jesus cried out to the Father, "Why hast thou forsaken Me"? At that moment that Jesus symbolically took the sin of the entire world upon His body, the Father turned away. This shows God the Father cannot look upon sin, without totally burning it up. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for sin at the shedding of His blood. From this day forward there was to never be any more sacrificing in the world. Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for all time for everyone. I believe this is why God allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed, to stop the sacrificing of animals. Jesus was flayed for believers.

Leviticus 1:7 "And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:"

The priests are to put the fire upon the altar, because they offered the sacrifice upon the altar. This applies to the first burnt offering which was offered upon the newly-erected altar, since afterwards the fire was always burning, and was never allowed to go out (Lev. 6:13).

"And lay the wood": No other fuel but wood was allowed for the altar, and no one was allowed to bring it from his own house, but it had to be the wood of the congregation (compare Neh. 10:34; 13:31). It had to be of the best kind; worm-eaten wood or timber from pulled-down buildings was not allowed.

Not even the high priest would eat of the meat of this offering. This animal was to be totally consumed by the fire.

Leviticus 1:8 "And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that [is] on the fire which [is] upon the altar:"

"The fire which is upon the altar": Fire usually indicates wrath, judgment, and punishment. The fire here suggests the consuming wrath of God that comes upon the animal and not the offeror. That the bullock was totally consumed teaches that Christ's sacrifice completely satisfied the demands of divine justice.

Again, here, we see that even the meat must be placed exactly in order. The fat was for a sweet smelling savor to the Lord.

Leviticus 1:9 "But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, [to be] a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD."

"Wash": This allowed the one sacrificing to cleanse the animal of excrement and thus make it clean.

"A sweet savor": The pleasant smell of burning meat signified the sacrifice of obedience which was pleasing to the Lord. While the costly ritual recognized God's anger for sin committed (compare 1:13, 17), the penitent heart behind the sacrifice made it acceptable. That was far more significant than the sacrifice itself (compare Gen. 8:21; 1 Sam. 15:23). This is the first of 3 freewill offerings to please the Lord. Compare the grain offering (2:2) and the peace offering (3:5).

This indicated God's satisfaction with the offerings and the propitiation for sin that He accepted, thus satisfying and placating the righteous judgment and wrath of God. They pointed typically to the redemptive work of Christ, whose personal sacrifice to the Father was a "sweet aroma" that satisfied the righteous judgment of God upon sin.

This washing just shows that God will not accept an unclean offering. Ministers today could take a lesson from this. Of course, this entire offering symbolizes Christ's sacrifice for us.

Leviticus 1:10 "And if his offering [be] of the flocks, [namely], of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish."

"Sheep, or of the goats ... a male without blemish": A sheep or lamb without blemish typified the perfection and submission without objection that our Lord manifested, as He was "brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and ... openeth not his mouth" (Isa. 53:7).

The importance of this being a male, is because it symbolized the offering Jesus made, and Jesus was of male gender in His flesh on the earth. The lamb must be a male, young enough not to have been with a female. It was to be without blemish. The very reason that Jesus' legs were not broken on the cross was to fulfill the Scripture of having no broken bones.

John 19:36 "For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."

Another Scripture shows the necessity of not breaking a bone of the offering.

Numbers 9:12 "They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it."

This offering was to be burned completely up. No one was to eat any of it. God the Father cannot look upon sin; He will burn it up. This is the symbolism seen here. The burnt sacrifice was sacrificed right inside the door of the outer court of the tabernacle. The way to God is indicated by doing this. The first step a person must make on the way to God, is realize they are a sinner, and repent. When we do this, the next step is to transfer our sin over to Jesus, by accepting Him as our perfect sacrifice. It is no longer necessary to pay for our sin with our own blood. He (Jesus), shed His blood for us. He became our substitute when He took our sin upon His body on the cross and we took on His righteousness on our body. The penalty for sin is death; praise God! Jesus' body died that we might live.

Leviticus 1:11 "And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar."

This and other kinds of sacrifices were killed "on the side of the altar northward" (Lev. 6:25 7:2). Because here seems to have been the largest and most convenient place for that work, the altar being probably near the middle of the east end of the building, and the entrance being on the south side. So the north side was the only vacant place. Besides, this might design the place of Christ's death, both more generally, to wit, in Jerusalem, which was:

"On the side of the altar northward" (Psalm 48:2). And more specially, to wit, on Mount Calvary, which was on the north and west side of Jerusalem.

We must remember from our Exodus teaching, that the priests symbolize those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The high priest symbolized the pastor of the church. We also see in this above a type and shadow that we can apply to our present day church. The sinner brings the animal to the outer court and places his hand upon the animal's head. He symbolically transfers his sins to the animal in so doing. This is the very thing we have done when we receive Jesus as our perfect sacrifice; we have transferred our sin to Him, as we said before. In this Scripture above, it shows that usually the first dealing with a sinner is not done by the pastor of the church, but by someone who is a believer in Jesus; a Christian. This altar here that is spoken of, is not in the Holy of Holies, it is in the outer court. It is the bronze altar. Bronze means judgement. The way to God, as we said before, is through repentance. This altar comes before baptism. Aaron's sons ministered in the outer court. They put the blood on this altar of judgement, and the blood of the animal makes the person acceptable to God. Lay Christians bring prospects for the Christian faith to the church and then the minister preaches salvation to them. The sheep (believers in Christ), produce sheep. The pastor (shepherd), leads, guides, and feeds them after they come.

In this lesson, we have repeated ourselves quite a bit, but we must thoroughly understand these symbols before we go on. One of the most important lessons that we are to see in this, is that God Himself set up these sacrifices. This was being the way for sinful man to approach the Holy God. In the garden of Eden, after the sin of Adam and Eve, God sacrificed an animal and made garments for them out of the hide. In the burnt offering above, the only thing that was not completely burned up was the hide of the animal, which was given to the priest. Cain and Abel were a very good example that to be able to approach God, blood must be shed. Cain's offering was unacceptable, because no blood was shed. I could go on and on, but I am sure you see the significance of the shedding of blood. Please keep in mind the types and shadows as we see Jesus in all the sacrifices and offerings. The person killing this sacrifice was admitting his sin.

1. Who was to kill the offering for the burnt offering?

2. Where did he place his hand before he killed the animal?

3. What did this symbolize?

4. How does this resemble what Jesus did for us on the cross?

5. What 2 meanings does atonement have?

6. What difference is there between, what Jesus did for us when He shed His blood for us, and the blood shed of the animal?

7. What does Hebrews chapter 10 verse 4 tell us about animal's blood?

8. What does the author believe is the most beautiful statement in Leviticus 1:4?

9. Who sprinkles the blood on the altar in verse 5?

10. Where is the altar located that the burnt offering is made on?

11. Why was it necessary to kill the animal?

12. Without the ___________ of ________ there is no remission of sin.

13. What is the first step we must take for salvation?

14. What did the brazen altar symbolize?

15. The life of the flesh is in the _____.

16. In 1 John 1:7, we read that what cleanseth us from all unrighteousness?

17. What does the word flay mean in this lesson today?

18. God the Father cannot look upon sin, He will ______ ___ ____.

19. Why did Jesus cry out from the cross "Why hast thou forsaken me?"

20. Why does the author believe God allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed?

21. Who was to put the fire upon the altar?

22. What was the fat of the animal to the Lord?

23. What does the washing of the legs and inward parts of the animal teach us about our offerings today?

24. Why is it important for this animal to be a male?

25. What is the penalty for sin?

26. Who are the priests symbolic of?

27. Who is usually the first contact with a sinner?

28. If the sinner is brought to the church by the believers, what is the job of the pastor?

29. Who set up sacrifices?

30. What were their purpose?

31. Give the first example in the Bible of animal sacrifice?

32. What is the only thing the high priest keeps of the burnt offering?

Leviticus Chapter 1 Second Continued

In the first of this lesson, I would like to go over again a few of the highlights we have already learned. We need to get all of this down deep into our understanding, that we might better appreciate what Jesus did for us when He was crucified on the cross.

We know that the burnt offering was to be made just inside the tabernacle of the congregation. We could view it as the entrance of the church. We know that the animal had to be perfect with no blemishes. The animal must be brought by the person seeking God.

We saw in a previous lesson how the person bringing the animal had to place his hand upon the animal's head, symbolically placing his own sins on the animal. We also learned, that blood must be shed for the remission of sin.

Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

These 2 Scriptures show us the seriousness of sin. Sin must be paid for by death through the shedding of blood. This animal was the substitute for this sinner as Jesus Christ was our substitute. In the case of Jesus this debt was paid for all mankind who will accept it for all time.

The blood of an animal cannot do away with sin, only cover the sin. The blood of Jesus Christ destroyed sin for those who follow Jesus. Jesus took our sin upon His body, and we took on His righteousness, when we wash in His blood.

In the burnt offering, the only thing that was not completely burned up was the hide of the animal, which was given to the priest. Isn't it interesting that God sacrificed an animal in the garden of Eden and made garments to cover Adam and Eve out of the hide? Praise God! Our garment of white is washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Our covering (righteousness of Christ), was provided for us by our Savior Jesus Christ and will never wear out. Just as this burnt offering opened the way for these people to worship God, Jesus opened the way for the Christian to be in fellowship with God.

Leviticus 1:12 "And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that [is] on the fire which [is] upon the altar:"

The perfection of these Old Testament sacrifices prefigured the sinlessness of Christ, who was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners" (Heb. 7:26; compare 9:24).

The first thing that jumps out at me in this is the fact that the person bringing the offering is helped by the priest. The priest sets everything in order. Remember, this animal being offered symbolizes this person's life of sin. This old life must be destroyed. The wood symbolizes worldliness, and it too, will be totally burned up. When a person first seeks God, they usually need help and direction to keep them in the path. The priest here, is like Christian leaders and friends who help us sort out things when we first come to the Lord. We need their guidance to get us started.

Leviticus 1:13 "But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring [it] all, and burn [it] upon the altar: it [is] a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD."

As he did the bullock (Lev. 1:9).

"And the priest shall bring it all": All the parts to the ascent of the altar, as the Jews interpret it. All the parts and pieces of it, even the very wool on the sheep's head. And the hair on the goat's beard, their bones, sinews, and horns, and hoofs, all were burnt, as it follows.

"And burn it on the altar, it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord" (see notes on Lev. 1:9).

LORD in the verse above is JEHOVAH, The Eternal One, or The One Who Exists. This was a very strong name the Hebrews used for God. This offering pleases God (sweet savor). This brings to mind the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who comes home. These next 2 Scriptures let us know how much it pleases God for someone to be saved.

Luke 15:7 "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Luke 15:10 "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

We must, also, look at the washing of the unclean parts of this animal. This says to me that unclean gifts are not acceptable unto God. Ministers should not take unclean gifts from donors, if they know they are unclean. We can also see in this offering in the other elements, water, blood and Spirit. We know that this offering shows us a shadow of Jesus. The fire symbolizes God or the Spirit. The water is represented by the water in the washing and the blood is present in the animal. Let us look at two more Scriptures that show us the importance of all three.

1 John 5:6 "This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."

1 John 5:8 "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

This burnt offering then, is not only an acceptable offering to God, but opens the way to fellowship with God.

Leviticus 1:14 "And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD [be] of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons."

As it might be for the poorer sort, who could not offer a bullock, nor a sheep, or a lamb (Lev. 5:7).

"Then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons": The Jewish writers all agree, that the turtles should be old, and not young, as the pigeons young, and not old. So the Targum of Jonathan, Jarchi, Aben Ezra and Gersom. The latter gives two reasons for it, because then they are the choicest and easiest to be found and taken. No mention is made of their being male or female, as either would do. Or of their being perfect and unblemished, as in the other burnt offerings. But if any part was wanting, it was not fit for sacrifice, as Maimonides observes. These creatures were proper emblems of Christ, and therefore used in sacrifice. Whose voice is compared to the turtle's, and his eyes to the eyes of doves (SOS 2:12). And who is fitly represented by them for his meekness and humility. And for his chaste and strong affection to his church, as the turtledove to its mate, and for those dove like graces of the Spirit which are in him.

The only reason this offering would be of a fowl, would be because the offeror was poor and could not offer more. God does not excuse the poor from making offerings, but does allow them to give less according to their ability to pay. This is such a beautiful symbolic meaning here. This type of fowl is a messenger. The dove also, symbolizes the Holy Spirit. This implies that the thoughts of man should soar above the earthly and be stayed upon the heavenly. Each person dedicating their life to God should be His messenger.

Leviticus 1:15 "And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn [it] on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:"

"The priest ... wring off": Unlike the livestock being killed by the one offering the sacrifice, the bird was killed by the priest.

All of the burnt offerings show a shadow of Christ. I would say this would be the sorrowful Christ. This blood being wrung out shows the violent manner that Jesus shed His blood. It is wrong to believe that Jesus' blood was spilled. It was no accident that He shed His blood for us.

Leviticus 1:16 "And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:"

"Crop ... feathers": This refers to the neck or gullet of a bird where food was stored.

"East part ... place of the ashes": This was the closest side to the entrance of the tabernacle compound and provided for the easiest removal of the ashes outside (compare 6:10-11).

This casting away of the feathers, shows me the fact that Jesus' robe was cast off before His crucifixion. To perfectly humiliate Him, they took His robe off. In this we see the humiliation of Jesus on the cross.

Leviticus 1:17 "And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, [but] shall not divide [it] asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that [is] upon the fire: it [is] a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD."

One wing being on one side, and the other on the other side.

"But shall not divide it asunder": The body of the bird, though it was cleaved down in the middle, yet not parted asunder, nor any of its wings separated from it. The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, "but shall not separate its wings from it". This denoted, that though, by the death of Christ, his soul and body were separated from each other, yet the human nature was not separated from his divine Person. The personal union between the two natures still continuing. Nor was he divided from his divine Father, though he was forsaken by him, yet still in union with him as the Son of God. Nor from the divine Spirit, by which he offered up himself to God, and by which he was quickened. Nor from his church and people, for whom he suffered, they being united to him as members to their head.

"And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire": In like manner as the ox, sheep, or goat were burnt. According to the Misnah, the priest went up the ascent (of the altar), and turned round about the circuit. When he came to the southeast horn, he cut its head (or nipped it) with his nail, over against its neck, and divided it, and squeezed out its blood by the wall of the altar, and turned the part nipped to the altar, and struck it at it, and rubbed it with salt, and cast it upon the fires. Then he went to the body and removed the crop and its feathers (or dung), and the entrails that came out along with it, and threw them into the place of ashes. He cleaved but did not divide asunder, but if he divided it was right, then he rubbed it with salt, and cast it upon the fires.

"It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord" (see notes on Lev. 1:9).

We can see in this spreading wide the wings and placing it upon the wood in one piece; the body of Jesus on the cross. Jesus' arms were spread out as the wings of this dove were and placed upon a wooden cross. Jesus made the statement, that in this He glorified the Father. I would like to quote 3 Scriptures that show that in this God the Father was pleased and glorified.

John 12:28 "Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, [saying], I have both glorified [it], and will glorify [it] again."

John 17:1 "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:"

John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."

There is no need to add to this, it says it all.

Leviticus Chapter 1 Second Continued Questions

1. Where was this burnt offering to be made?

2. What could this be viewed as, that pertains to us?

3. Who brought the animal to be sacrificed?

4. What was the symbolic meaning of the person making the offering placing his hand upon the head of the animal to be sacrificed?

5. What is the only permissible thing, that can take sin away?

6. The wages of sin is ________.

7. What one word describes what this animal was, for the person bringing it?

8. What happened to the hide of the animal?

9. When God killed an animal in the garden of Eden, what did He do with the hide?

10. What is the Christian's covering?

11. Where did the priest lay the offering after he had cut it up?

12. What does the wood of the altar symbolize?

13. The priest in verse 12, reminds us of whom?

14. What parts of the animal must be washed before burning?

15. LORD, in verse 13, is whom?

16. What does this offering being a sweet savor, let us know about the offering?

17. Where do we find the Scripture that says there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth?

18. What message should we receive about unclean gifts here?

19. In 1 John 5:8, what 3 things bear witness in earth?

20. When is the only time acceptable to bring a fowl for a burnt offering?

21. What is this fowl mentioned here symbolic of?

22. The Dove specifically symbolizes Whom?

23. Where should the thoughts of man be?

24. What does the blood being wrung out of the fowl show us about the crucifixion of Jesus?

25. What shadow of Jesus' crucifixion does the plucking of the feathers and throwing them at the foot of the altar show?

26. Why were the wings of the fowl spread open and placed on the wood?

27. Where are the Scriptures found that say this glorifies the Father and Jesus?

Leviticus Chapter 2 Continued

We have been studying about the meat offering just inside the tabernacle door. We have mentioned this several times before, but it is of no use at all to study the Old Testament, unless you can see Jesus. As we look at all the sacrifices and offerings, we will be able to see Jesus in them all. The meat offering actually contains the elements of Bread. We mentioned that, probably, the reason it is called the meat offering is that the Bread actually symbolizes the body of Jesus.

Matthew 26:26 "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed [it], and brake [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body."

Mark 14:22 "And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake [it], and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body."

We can easily see that the Bread and Jesus' body are one and the same. Let us continue with the study now by reading:

Leviticus 2:11 "No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire."

This applies to the offering of 2:4-10, all which were to be burned on the altar.

"No ... leaven ... honey": Both yeast and honey were edible foods, but were never to be used with a grain offering, since both could induce fermentation, which symbolized sin (see note on 2:4).

We see, in the verse above, that leaven is not to be used in the meat offering. As we said before, leaven symbolizes sin. Jesus' body was free from sin. Jesus was the only person who ever lived upon the earth free from sin. In fact, He was holy. Sin is an abomination to God. To burn leaven on the altar would make a repulsive odor, not a sweet smelling savor. Honey, as well as leaven, is something to please the flesh, not the spirit of man. God will not accept worldly offerings. The things we do for God must not be for worldly fame. The offerings we make must be to please God alone.

Leviticus 2:12 "As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savor."

This applies to the offering of 2:14-16, which was not to be burned on the altar, but rather roasted by the worshiper (verse 14), before going to the tabernacle.

There is a great deal of difference between the meat offering and the firstfruits offering. The meat offering represents the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ on the cross. The firstfruits celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. You can easily see that first fruits are for man. It would be alright to use leaven and honey in firstfruits, since it is pleasing to man.

1 Corinthians 15:20 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept."

1 Corinthians 15:23 "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."

Leviticus 2:13 "And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt."

"The salt of the covenant": This was included in all of the offerings in 2:4-10, 14-16 since salt was emblematic of permanence or loyalty to the covenant.

Salt is a preserver. Many times salt was used to confirm a covenant with God. I will give just one example of that practice here, when God made a covenant with David.

2 Chronicles 13:5 "Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, [even] to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?"

When salt was added to this offering, it showed that it was for all of eternity. The sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross was for all generations to come. It was the ultimate sacrifice and there would be no need for any more sacrifices. Jesus called the believers the salt of the earth. Christians must be the preserver of all that is true and good.

Matthew 5:13 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

In this Scripture, above and in the 6th chapter of Hebrews, you can see how terrible it is for a Christian to go back into the world after confessing belief in Jesus. Salt keeps decay away, so it is a true preserving. Salt symbolizes incorruption. I could go on and on about the good references about salt, but we will get into more on it later.

Leviticus 2:14 "And if thou offer a meat offering of thy first fruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, [even] corn beaten out of full ears."

"Of thy first fruits": These would be offered at the Feast of Firstfruits (23:9-14), and the Feast of Weeks (23:15-22).

This meat offering has one thing the other did not. This offering is from the first corn of the season. Even before providing for their own family, the first corn was given to God. This is truly giving the best and first to God. I have said so many times that God wants all of you. He must have 100%, or none at all. That is what I see in the first of the harvest being given to the Lord. Christians should practice Firstfruits in their offerings to God. We give to God in anticipation of earnings. Others wait until they know what their earnings are and then give one tenth of that. Firstfruits is one thing that separates Christians from others. We Christians even worship on the first day of the week, instead of the last day of the week.

Leviticus 2:15 "And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it [is] a meat offering."

"Frankincense": A gum resin with a pungent, balsamic odor, used in the tabernacle sacrifices.

Jesus was not only born with the Holy Ghost as His Father, but was filled with the Spirit of God. The oil in these offerings shows the continuous presence of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus here on the earth. The frankincense, here and in all of the offerings, shows that God the Father is pleased with everything that Jesus did. All the actions of Jesus on the earth glorified the Father and were a sweet smell to God. This is the sweet smelling savor.

Leviticus 2:16 "And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, [part] of the beaten corn thereof, and [part] of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: [it is] an offering made by fire unto the LORD."

That which is taken out of it for a memorial, the same with the handful of fine flour and cakes of the meat offering.

"Part of the beaten corn thereof": Or that which was ground in a mill.

"And part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof": As was done in the other meat offerings.

"It is an offering made by fire unto the Lord" (see Lev. 2:2).

This portion of the offering that was burned on the fire was offered to God by the priest. It was completely burned up, not eaten by anyone. This beaten corn is symbolic of the beaten body of the Lord Jesus Christ. The oil is not just any oil, but the holy oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit of God. The frankincense sends a sweet fragrance to God and it symbolizes that all glory goes to God. We see, in all of this, that we must totally commit ourselves to God. It is very important to do as Jesus did, and say with Jesus, not my will but thine Oh! LORD.

We have been looking at two offerings that go hand in hand. The meat offering and the firstfruits offering go together. We can see in this that the crucifixion would not be complete without the resurrection from the grave.

We must see in all of this that total commitment to God is the only thing pleasing to God. God must be first. We must dedicate all work that we might do to the glory of God. The bread (Word of God), is the staff of life. Bread is not a pleasant food, but a food of necessity. The Bread (Jesus Christ), takes care of all our needs. It is by grace we are saved, not of our good works. The blood of Jesus Christ reconciles us to the Father. To sum this lesson up, we would say that we must serve a Holy God with clean hands and a pure heart, bringing gifts acceptable unto Him.

Leviticus Chapter 2 Continued Questions

1. Where was the meat offering given?

2. If the Old Testament is to be useful to us, who must we see in it?

3. The meat offering actually contains the elements of what?

4. Why is it called the meat offering, if it contains no meat?

5. The Bread and Jesus' ________ are one and the same.

6. What 2 things were never to be part of the meat offering?

7. What does leaven symbolize?

8. What do honey and leaven have in common?

9. Why were honey and leaven acceptable in the firstfruits offering?

10. What did firstfruits symbolize?

11. What did the meat offering symbolize?

12. The firstfruits was for ______.

13. When does 1 Corinthians 15:23 tell us the Christians shall be resurrected?

14. Every oblation of the meat offering shall be seasoned with what?

15. What was used many times to confirm a covenant of God with man?

16. What Old Testament character did we give an example of sealing an agreement with salt?

17. How long was this agreement for?

18. How long was the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross good for?

19. In Matthew chapter 5 verse 13, what did Jesus call the believers?

20. What chapter in Hebrews tells of the terrible fate of those who turn away from salvation in Jesus and go back into the world?

21. Incorruption is symbolized by what?

22. What should Christians practice in their gifts to God?

23. Worshipping on the first day of the week practices what?

24. What shows the continuous presence of the Holy Spirit in these offerings?

25. What does the frankincense show about the Father in these offerings?

26. The memorial offering was eaten by whom?

27. Which 2 offerings go hand in hand?

28. The crucifixion of the Lord would not be complete without what?

29. All work that we might do must be dedicated to whom?

30. How could you sum up this lesson?

Leviticus Chapter 3

We will be looking at the Peace Offering in this lesson. The Hebrew name for the peace offering is (zebach shelamim), which means sacrifice of peace offerings. This was a festive feast and was along with and after the burnt offering, meat offering, and Firstfruits. This offering symbolizes the peace that comes through Jesus Christ after He has reconciled us to Father God. There is a peace that true Christians have, that is actually beyond the world's comprehension. Just the fact that we have no fear of death, sets us aside from the world. The believers have hope of the resurrection, as we said in a previous lesson. Peace offerings were a way of thanking God for His bountiful blessings.

Leviticus 3:1 "And if his oblation [be] a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer [it] of the herd; whether [it be] a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD."

"Peace offering": The slain animal offering differs from the burnt offering. The fat and the kidneys were removed from the bullock or heifer, after the blood. If it was a lamb being offered, the rump was also removed. The inner parts were burned and the remainder provided sustenance for the priests. This typifies Christ as our peace offering on the cross, for He is also our "peace" (Eph. 2:13-17).

We see that both males and females are acceptable in this offering. This peace offering does not relate to the physical body of Jesus Christ is why this is so. The peace of God comes to both male and female, when we receive Jesus as our Savior. Take note that all offerings are to be without blemish. Of course, LORD here is Jehovah. Their herd consisted not only of cattle, but sheep, and goats, as well. This would mean then, that they could bring a bull, or cow, a he goat or a she goat, or a ram or an ewe.

Leviticus 3:2 "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about."

The peace offering, the burnt offering, the meat offering, and the firstfruits offering were all just inside the door of the tabernacle. This is like a brand new Christian who has just received the Lord Jesus as their Savior. What overwhelming joy there is when one sinner comes to Christ. It calls for a celebration, and that is what the peace offering is all about. We see again, the laying of the hand on the animal's head to show the transfer of the person's sin (symbolically), to the offering. Actually, this offering will turn into a feast. The sons of Aaron and the one who offers will eat of this meat after it is properly prepared. We see, in this blood, that the Lord Jesus is the one who brings this peace. It is as if we are thanking Him for His sacrifice of His blood for us. Jesus made peace with God for us, He is our peace.

Ephesians 2:14 "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us];"

Leviticus 3:3 "And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that [is] upon the inwards,"

This fat and the inwards that were burned on this bronze altar, were a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. This offering to God recognized where the peace of God came from. This is like a prayer of thanksgiving from us to God. Remember, on this same altar, the covenant with God and His people had been sealed with the salt. There is plenty to rejoice about. Since we are looking at types and shadows, we can see the Lord's supper with the apostles shadowed in this peace offering. Notice in the next few verses, that the priests partake of the food from this offering. The priests symbolize Jesus' followers then and now.

Leviticus 3:4 "And the two kidneys, and the fat that [is] on them, which [is] by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away."

Meaning either the two kidneys which were next the flanks, or the fat upon them, which was next to them. These, and the burning of them, may signify the burning zeal and flaming love and affections of Christ for his people. "The fat": All of the fat was dedicated to the Lord 3:3-5, 9-11, 14-16).

"And the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away": Or the caul, which is a thin membrane or skin, in which the liver is enclosed. With the liver, together with the kidneys, he separated from the rest in order to burn, at least with a part of the liver.

We see in this that the portion to be burned is the kidney and all of the fat. This is to be burned as a sweet savor to the Lord. Later on in this same chapter the people are told to not eat fat or blood, that they belong to God. One of the terrible practices of Satan worshippers today is the drinking of blood. This would be a horrible abomination to God.

Leviticus 3:5 "And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which [is] upon the wood that [is] on the fire: [it is] an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD."

That is, the fat of the several parts before mentioned. This signified the sufferings of Christ, by which our peace is made, and by whose death we are reconciled to God. This rite of burning the fat of the inwards of sacrifices was used by the Pagans, and is still retained by the idolatrous Indians to this day.

"Upon the burnt sacrifice": Which, as Gersom says, was the burnt offering of the daily sacrifice of the morning, which was offered first of all sacrifices. So Jarchi says, "we learn that the daily burnt offering preceded every other offering." This was an eminent type of Christ's sacrifice.

"Which is upon the wood that is on the fire": That is, which burnt offering was laid upon the wood on the fire, and the fat of the peace offering upon that.

"It is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord": As Christ's sacrifice is (Eph. 5:2; see note on Lev. 1:9).

This is to be burned on the brazen altar. The priests, the sons of Aaron, were to do the burning. Remember one more time that the priests symbolize the Christians. This shows us that in our thanksgiving to God, we should also give offerings to His work.

Leviticus 3:6 "And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD [be] of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish."

As it might be: and be either male or female; which he pleased. In the peace offering either male or female could be offered, but in the burnt offering only the male. So here no birds can be offered, but in the burnt offering they might. There, all was consumed with fire; and in the peace offering, divided.

"He shall offer it without blemish" (see note on Lev. 3:1).

We notice again here, that there is provision made for those who are too poor to bring a specific offering. This just shows me that regardless of how poor you are; you are not exempt from giving. God allows those who have less to give less, but He does not exempt them from giving. Since this is still the peace offering and does not typify the body of Jesus, a male or female can be given. This still must be a first class offering, not any damaged goods.

Leviticus 3:7 "If he offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD."

Which was of the flock, and must be of the first year. This is a rule laid down by Maimonides, that where ever this word is used in the law, it signifies one of the first year.

"Then shall he offer it before the Lord": Bring it into the court, and present it to the priest.

This is just going into more detail about each of the offerings. In fact, this was included (in verse 1), when male or female of the herd were mentioned.

Leviticus 3:8 "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar."

"He shall lay his hand upon the head": The offeror of the sacrifice, by touching the head with the hand, indicates identification, symbolically shifting the guilt and penalty for his own sins to the sacrifice. This act finds its typical fulfillment in justification by faith through Christ. This is the third and last of the sweet savor offerings, which show Christ in His own human perfection, and His willingness to lovingly obey the Father's will.

We discussed earlier, that the laying the hand over on the animal's head was as if this animal represented the offeror before God. This offering of thanksgiving to the Lord should not be a private affair. When we are praising God, we should not be ashamed to do it in front of others. We should tell the world that God has blessed us. The person offering the lamb should not touch the altar. The sons of Aaron will place the meat to be burned, and sprinkle the blood as well.

Leviticus 3:9 "And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat thereof, [and] the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone; and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that [is] upon the inwards,"

That is, the priest, Aaron, or one of his two sons.

"An offering made by fire unto the Lord": That part of it which was to be burnt with fire. And in the peace offering of the lamb there was something more than in the peace offering of the bullock, or of the goat, which follows.

"The fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone. Not the rump or tail, but the fat of it. Some sheep and lambs had very large tails, and very fat ones, the least weighing ten or twelve pounds. The largest above forty, and were put in little carts for ease and safety (see note on Exodus 29:22). Now such as were "whole", entire, perfect, and without blemish, as the word signifies. The fat of them that was next to the backbone was to be taken off of such as were brought for peace offerings.

"And the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards": As before (see note on Lev. 3:3).

Rump here means the fat tail of an oriental sheep. All fat was to be burned in all of these offerings. The only reason I can see this mentioned separately here, is, that most of the other animals did not have these fat tails. The reason this fat is mentioned so many times is that God wants to impress upon them the importance of not eating fat. The fat belonged to God. I say, again, all fat was to be burned as a sweet savor to the Lord. We need to go over a few things in this lesson one more time, so that we will not forget them. The peace offering was to be offered on the bronze altar just inside the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. The offeror was to kill the animal. The offeror was to place his hand upon the animal's head while he was killing it to show that the animal represented the offeror. For the peace offering, the animal could be male or female. This was a thank offering and did not shadow the very body of Christ. This thank offering was shared by the person offering it and the priests, after the fat and blood and the inward parts were offered to God. The part offered to God must be burned upon the burnt altar.

Leviticus Chapter 3 Questions

1. Which offering does this lesson deal with?

2. What is the Hebrew name for the peace offering?

3. What does it mean?

4. What other offerings were made on the same altar?

5. Christians have no fear of ________.

6. What hope do the Christians have that the world does not have?

7. What animal could be offered in the peace offering?

8. What must be the condition of the animal offered?

9. What animals did their herds consist of?

10. Where was the person to kill the animal?

11. Who was to sprinkle the blood upon the altar?

12. What overwhelming joy there is when one __________ comes to ________.

13. Who will be allowed to eat of this meat after it is properly prepared?

14. Where do we find the Scripture that says He is our peace?

15. What part of this offering was to be burned upon the fire, an offering to God?

16. This peace offering is like a prayer of _________________.

17. What had the covenant of God been sealed with?

18. What 2 things are not to be eaten, because they belong to God?

19. What is one of the terrible practices in the church of Satan today?

20. Do the poor have to sacrifice? Explain.

21. Should the offering of praise be made privately or publicly?

22. What does rump mean in verse 9?

23. Why is the fat mentioned over and over?

24. Name at least 4 things we repeated about this offering at the end of the lesson.

Leviticus Chapter 4 Second Continued

We have been looking at the sin offering in the last few lessons. We saw that the sin offering for the priest was the same offering as the offering for the whole church. In this lesson, we will look at the sin offering of a ruler, and the sin offering of the common people. We could relate this to our governors, mayors, senators, representatives, or even the president. We will find that their offering is different. Perhaps this is because the ruler affects the lives of all the people he represents. A good ruler will carry out the will of God, while he is in office. We find most politicians not seeking God's will, but the will of those who put him in office. Little do they realize that the powers that be, are there because God put them there, not the people.

Verses 22-26: These are sacrifices for the sin of a ruler. The blood of the sacrifice was not sprinkled in the Holy Place, as for the priest or congregation (4:6, 17), but only on the altar of burnt offering.

Leviticus 4:22 "When a ruler hath sinned, and done [somewhat] through ignorance [against] any of the commandments of the LORD his God [concerning things] which should not be done, and is guilty;"

Or "prince", the "nasi". One that is lifted up above others in honor, power, and authority, or that bears the weight of government. The word comes from one which signifies to lift up, or to bear. It may be understood of a governor of a family, or of a tribe, as Aben Ezra observes. And so in the Talmud it is said, it means the prince of a tribe, such as Nachson the son of Amminadab, prince of the tribe of Judah. Maimonides says a king is designed, over whom none has power. And so Gersom on the place, who observes, that David the king is called a prince (Ezek. 34:24).

"And done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God": The phrase, "his God", is here added, and is not used neither of the anointed priest, nor of the congregation, nor of one of the common people. Only of the prince, to show, that though he is above others, God is above him, and he is accountable to him. He is his God, of whom he is, and by whom he rules. Wherefore if he breaks any of his commandments, though ignorantly, he must bring a sacrifice for it.

"Concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty": Of transgressing negative precepts, which are as binding on him as others.

In this verse above, we see that this ruler believed in God; (the Lord his God). We must also see that this is not a deliberate sin, but a sin through ignorance. The third thing we must see is that he really did sin and he is guilty.

Leviticus 4:23 "Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:"

Or rather, "and if his sin", etc. Either by means of others informing him of it, or of himself calling to mind what he has done, and considering it to be a transgression of the law.

"He shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish": His offering was to be a "kid of the goats". A fat and a large one; because, as Baal Hatturim observes, he ate fat things every day. And to distinguish it from the offering of one of the common people; and "without blemish"; as all sacrifices were, that they might be typical of the offering of Christ without spot.

When I see a goat, it reminds me of the separation of the sheep and goats in heaven. Perhaps the offering of this goat here tells us that the ruler is a ruler in worldly things, not so much the spiritual things. He is possibly not of the sheepfold. The sheep follow the great Shepherd Jesus Christ. This above is a male goat which has horns. The horns, of course denote strength. A goat's horns would denote world power. We see that possibly, this is a sin against the world and not of the congregation.

Leviticus 4:24 "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it [is] a sin offering."

His right hand, as the Targum of Jonathan (see notes on Lev. 1:4).

"And kill it": Not the prince, but the priest after mentioned, or the butcher, as the same Targum. That is, the priest shall kill it; for it was not lawful for any out of that office to kill the beast.

"In the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord": In the court on the north side of the altar (see Lev. 1:11).

"It is a sin offering": An offering for his sin of ignorance, or "sin". So Christ our offering is said to be (2 Cor. 5:21).

We see that the goat is to be killed just inside the tabernacle of the congregation at the bronze altar. This ruler, even though he rules in things of the world, is still answerable to God for the way he governs. There is no one on this earth, who does not have to answer to a higher power. The most powerful king in all the world has to answer to God for his actions. This sin offering then is possibly, for his sins in regard to the way he governs.

Leviticus 4:25 "And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering."

With the finger of his right hand, as the Talmudists observe, and Gersom on the place. The priest first received the blood into a basin or ministering vessel, and then dipped the finger of his right hand into it, that next the thumb.

"And put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering": The four horns of it. In this there was a difference between the sacrifice of the anointed priest and of the congregation, and this of the ruler. The blood of the former was put upon the horns of the altar of incense, this upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering.

"And shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering": The South bottom of it. The order of the priest's proceeding in putting the blood was different from that used in putting it on the horns of the altar of incense. Here he first put the blood upon the southeast horn, then upon the northeast, next upon the northwest, and then upon the southwest. And upon the bottom of that horn where he finished, he poured the remainder of the blood, which was the southern bottom.

One of the most apparent differences in this offering is that the blood is not carried into the presence of God, as the other 2 were. I see in this, that this is a worldly matter, not a heavenly matter. We see in the other offerings that the blood was taken to the veil of separation and sprinkled 7 times before the Lord. This was to make mankind able to go into the presence of the Father. This is not done in this instance. The blood is applied to the horns where the burnt offering is made. This then, would indicate that this offering is for the outer court.

Blood on the horns indicates the power of this ruler, in dealing with the people, is ordained of God. This was not for man to go to heaven, but had to do with this earth. I cannot help but think that this has to do with the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, here on the earth for 1000 years.

Revelation 17:14 "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful."

Revelation 19:16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written," KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. We see the blood not only applied on the horns of the altar, but poured out at the base of the altar on the ground. We still see the substitute of the goat's blood for the sin of the ruler. Jesus shed His blood for the whole earth. We see this in the blood being poured out at the foot of the altar and being absorbed in the earth. Horns denote strength, and we see by this that the strength here is from God.

Leviticus 4:26 "And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him."

Of burnt offering, that is, the priest shall do it.

"As the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings (see Lev. 3:3).

"And the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin": In a typical way, directing to the great sacrifice of Christ, which is the only real atonement and propitiation for sin. The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render, "the priest shall pray for him": for the pardon of his sin.

"And it shall be forgiven him": Not for the prayers of the priest, nor for the sacrifice offered up, but for the sake of Christ. The antitype of such sacrifices, and when faith was exercised on him. Or the meaning is, he shall not be punished for it.

This fat burned, is a sweet savor to God. We see that this offering is accepted by God. We know that this offering does not open the veil into the most Holy Place, as in the other offering. It appears that this offering is for blessings of this earth, since the blood was not sprinkled 7 times before the veil. God accepts this offering and the one who offered is forgiven. Blessings from God can be two-fold. The right hand blessing was always a spiritual blessing and was really a promise of eternal life in heaven. The left hand blessing was a blessing for the earth. The patriarchs blessed their children and grandchildren in this manner. Possibly, the two sons of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael, were the best example of this. Isaac was known as the son of the spirit and Ishmael was the son of the flesh. Both were blessed, but Isaac's blessing was for all generations of believers in the Spirit. Ishmael's blessings were just for the earth.

Leviticus 4:27 "And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth [somewhat against] any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which ought not to be done, and be guilty;"

Or, "if one soul of the people of the earth". That is, a single person, and so is distinguished from the congregation, one of the common sort of people. However, is neither a high priest, nor a prince, or king, but either a common priest, or Levite, or Israelite. No man is free from sin; all sorts of persons, of all ranks and degrees. High and low, rich and poor, men in office, civil or ecclesiastical, or in whatsoever state of life, are liable to sin. And do sin continually, either ignorantly or willingly. And Christ is a sacrifice for all sins and for all sorts of sinners.

"Whilst he doeth somewhat": etc. (see notes on Lev. 4:2; 4:13; 4:22).

Common in the Scripture above means country, earth, grounds, world, or wilderness. This seems strange, but it gives meaning to this Scripture. The people mentioned in the Scripture above then would be earthly people. They are Israelites however, since these are Israel's descendants who left Egypt headed for the Promised Land. We might think of these, in our day, of people who say they are Christians, but really are not interested in God's purpose for life. They are caught up in the world so much that their belief in Christ is secondary to them. They would not find it necessary to study God's Word, or to get personally involved in His work. It would be really easy for them to sin without knowing they were sinning, since they had not studied the Bible very much.

Leviticus 4:28 "Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned."

So that he is convinced that he has sinned.

"Then he shall bring his offering": To the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to the priest there:

"A kid of the goats": A young goat.

"A female without blemish": And so inferior to the offering of the ruler or prince. For the characters of men are aggravations of their sins, and sacrifices were to be in some measure answerable to them, and suitable to their circumstances.

"For the sin which he hath sinned": To atone for it in a typical way.

Notice in these sin offerings, how the priest was required to bring the most offering. Then notice the congregation, who knew the will of God was required to bring the next best offering. The ruler brought a lesser gift than the priest, and now the common people brought an even lesser offering. The ruler's offering had to be more, because his sin affected more people than just the common people. A female animal had less strength than a male animal, and would therefore be correct to bring in this instance, since the ruler was stronger than the common people. Regardless of how poor a person was; he still must bring an offering to the Lord. The shedding of blood was required for a sin offering always. Even though this goat is a female, the shed blood of this animal cleansing from sin still shadowed the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not necessary for a shadow to be the exact same as the one it shadowed. It must just remind us of the one being shadowed. Notice also that even this lesser offering must be without blemish.

Leviticus 4:29 "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering."

His right hand, as the Targum of Jonathan. Not the priest that shall offer it, but the man that has sinned, that brings it, thereby confessing his sin, and transferring it to the sacrifice.

"And slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering": That is, on the north side of the altar.

We see one more time, the transfer of the sin to the animal, by the laying of the hand upon its head. The shed blood is the price to be paid for the sin of the person.

Leviticus 4:30 "And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar."

So that all the preceding actions, the bringing the offering, the putting the hand upon the head of it, and slaying it, were done by the man that sinned. Of this and what follows here and in the next verse (Leviticus 4:31; see notes on Lev. 4:25; 4:26).

This is the same as the offering for the ruler. The power is in the blood.

Leviticus 4:31 "And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn [it] upon the altar for a sweet savor unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him."

(See notes on Lev. 4:25-26).

This offering again, is the same as the offering for the ruler. God accepts this fat burned as a sweet savor to God.

Leviticus 4:32 "And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish."

As he might if he would. The Jews observe, that in all places a lamb is put before a goat, as being more excellent in its kind. But here it is mentioned after, which shows, they say, that they are equally alike.

"He shall bring it a female without blemish": Typical of Christ the Lamb of God, without spot and without blemish (1 Peter 1:19).

This again, is just showing that these common people were not required to bring as valuable a gift as was required for the ruler. We also can look and see that there were fewer restrictions on the common people, than on the ruler. To rule requires self-denial and a stricter way of life than for the common people.

Leviticus 4:33 "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering."

On the head of the lamb, as on the head of the goat. Even his right hand, as the above Targum, as before.

"And slay it for a sin offering, in the place where they kill the burnt offering": For if it was not slain for a sin offering, but for something else. Or on any other account, as for a burnt offering, it was not right.

Leviticus 4:34 "And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:"

(See notes on Leviticus 4:25-26).

Leviticus 4:35 "And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him."

(See notes on Leviticus 4:25-26).

In each of these verses about the offerings of the common people, the offering is the same, except a female goat or sheep could be offered, whereas for the ruler, it must be a male goat. We do not see instructions in this to take the animal outside of town to burn the meat, as we did in the case of the congregation's and the priest's offering.

Leviticus Chapter 4 Second Continued Questions

1. How did the sin offering for the priest differ from the sin offering for the congregation?

2. Describe a good ruler. Who in our society today could we relate the ruler to? Who do most politicians today try to please?

3. In verse 22, what tells us that this ruler believes in God?

4. His sin must not be a deliberate sin, but a sin of ______________.

5. He has not been falsely accused, he is __________.

6. What is the sin offering the ruler should bring?

7. What does the author believe shows that his rule is a worldly rule?

8. Horns denote what?

9. A goat's horns then would denote what?

10. Are rulers in high authority exempt from worshipping God?

11. Where is the 2 places the priest put the blood of the animal?

12. What is one of the most apparent differences with this offering and the offering of the priest and the congregation?

13. Blood on the horns indicate that this ruler's power comes from where?

14. How many years will Jesus reign on the earth?

15. What will be His title then, when He comes to reign?

16. Who are the blessed and holy in verse 6 of Revelation chapter 20?

17. Without the shedding of ________, there is no remission of sin.

18. What was to be burned on the altar of the sin offering of the ruler?

19. What kind of blessing was the right hand blessing?

20. What kind of blessing was the left hand blessing?

21. In the Old Testament, what 2 sons were a good example of the right and left hand blessing?

22. What does the word, common, mean in Leviticus chapter 4 verse 27?

23. How can we relate the common people here and the people of our day?

24. What was the offering the common people could bring?

25. How is it permissible for this female goat's blood to shadow the blood of Jesus?

26. What is done by the person offering the goat that shows the transfer of the person's sin to the goat?

27. Who was to put the blood of the animal on the horns of the altar?

28. For the common people, what type of lamb was permissible to bring?

29. What instructions had been omitted in the sin offering for the ruler and common people that had been included in the sin offering for the priest and the congregation?

Leviticus Chapter 5 Continued

In the previous lesson, we have been studying the sin offering for being eyewitness to a sin and not reporting it, the sin of swearing, and the sin of being in contact with an unclean thing. We know that the offering varied according to the ability of the sinner to pay. We will now see that this lesson deals with the very poor who can hardly pay anything. These offerings were all blood offerings.

Leviticus 5:11 "But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put [any] frankincense thereon: for it [is] a sin offering."

Which is supposing a man to be in the poorest circumstances he can well be. And such is the grace and goodness of God, that he has provided for the atonement and forgiveness of the poorest, as well as of the rich.

"Then he that hath sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering": Which is an omer (Exodus 16:36), and is as much as a man can eat in one day, as Aben Ezra remarks. "Ephah": About 6 gallons.

"He shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon": To distinguish it from the common meat offering, which had both (Lev. 3:1). And to make it as easy, and as little chargeable to the poor as possible, both oil and frankincense being things of value. And some think that these were prohibited, to show that atonement and forgiveness. And even the salvation of men, are not owing to grace in them. Comparable to oil, or to their prayers, signified by frankincense, and so to any or all of their duties, but to Christ alone, and his atoning sacrifice. Or these were forbidden, because emblems of joy and gladness, and therefore not so proper at a confession of sin, and humiliation for it. Or rather to show how disagreeable and offensive sin was to the Lord, being contrary to grace, of which oil was an emblem, and far from being acceptable to him, which frankincense might signify. And therefore being prohibited, might denote how unacceptable, yea nauseous, sin is to him; which agrees with the reason given. "Put no oil ... frankincense": Contrast the grain offering (2:2).

"For it is a sin offering": And therefore must not be honored, as Jarchi. Or must have everything removed from it that is beautiful and amiable, as Ben Gersom, such as oil and frankincense.

Even though there is no blood evident in this offering of bread, it does not eliminate the fact that there is no remission of sin except by the shedding of blood. We discussed in a previous lesson, that this is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ (The Bread). The shadow has no blood, but the person it shadows does. Jesus is the Bread of life. His body was spoken of as bread. Jesus was our sin offering when He was crucified on the cross. This is unleavened bread, which is the only kind that can symbolize the sinless body of Christ. Jesus shed His blood for us.

Leviticus 5:12 "Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, [even] a memorial thereof, and burn [it] on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a sin offering."

The flour just as it was, not kneaded and made into a cake, as appears by what follows.

"And the priest shall take his handful of it": As much of the flour as he could hold in one hand.

"Even a memorial thereof": To bring to mind his sin, and the goodness of God in admitting of an offering for it, and forgiving it upon that.

"And burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord": In the same manner as other burnt offerings were made.

"It is a sin offering": Or an expiatory sacrifice for sin.

Leviticus 5:13 "And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and [the remnant] shall be the priest's, as a meat offering."

By burning the handful of flour brought by him, as an emblem of the painful sufferings of Christ, whereby he made atonement for the sins of his people.

"As touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these": For whatsoever sin he had committed in any of the above cases (Lev. 5:1).

"And it shall be forgiven him": Upon the foot of the atonement made (see notes on Lev. 5:10).

"And the remnant shall be the priest's as a meat offering": The whole tenth part of an ephah of fine flour was the priest's, excepting the handful he took and burnt. Just as in the case of a common meat offering (Lev. 2:3).

We see clearly here, that the minister of the church is supposed to live of the offerings brought to the church. Notice also that the priest (preacher), is to help the sinner that comes to the church, and that is without exception. When the sinner comes with a repentant heart, the preacher prays for him or her, and then praise God, his sins are forgiven. This memorial of this that is burned on the altar is very pleasing to God. It shows the sincerity of the repentance.

Verses 5:14 - 6:7 (see 7:1-10), for the priests' instructions. The trespass or guilt offering symbolized an atonement for sin unknowingly committed where restitution was possible. Like the sin offering (4:1 - 5:13), this one was compulsory. For sins against the Lord's property, restitution was made to the priest (5:14-19), while restitution was made to the person who suffered loss in other instances (6:1-7).

Leviticus 5:14 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"

Out of the tabernacle of the congregation (Lev. 1:1), he continued to speak to him.

"Saying": As follows in the next verse.

I believe this sudden break here back to who is giving these directions, and to whom they are given, is to show us this is not something Moses just came up with but are God's wishes. These laws are many times called the law of Moses, when in fact, they are the law of God.

Leviticus 5:15 "If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:"

In the sacrificial system in general, different animals were designated for different offerings according to their relative value. A bull was considered the costliest offering because the Hebrew people raised them for meat. Rams were needed for servicing ewes, so they too were a significant offering.

"Shekel of the sanctuary": This amounted to 20 gerahs (Exodus 30:13; Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47), or 2 bekas (Exodus 38:26), which is the equivalent of four-tenths of one ounce. God fixed the value of a shekel.

The trespass offering and the sin offering, I do not believe to be the same. This trespass offering seemed to be a sin of omission of the duties toward God. In the sin offering, it seemed the offering was for a specific sin; and in the trespass offering, it seemed they were sacrificing for cleansing of their attitude toward God. This would be like a backslider praying to be forgiven for backsliding.

Silver means redemption, as we have said in so many of these lessons. This sacrifice should be of sufficient value, so as to compensate for the neglect of the person's duties to God. The trespass offering carried a penalty of 20% for failing to pay on time. It seemed that this could be owed to the temple, or to other believers. In this, the person had to make restitution for what he had neglected to do previously. When a person did not pay their tithes and offerings, it was as if they planned to rob God. If people today were fined 20% above their tithes and offerings that they had not brought to the temple, there would be enough ready cash to evangelize the whole world.

Leviticus 5:16 "And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him."

"Add a fifth part": The offender was required to make a 120 percent restitution, which was considerably lower than that prescribed elsewhere in the Mosaic law, e.g. (Exodus 22:7, 9). Perhaps this is accounted for by a voluntary confession in contrast to an adjudicated and forced conviction.

Notice that after the person makes amends for the wrong he or she has done, God forgives them. This should be good news for all the backsliders, God will take you back if you truly repent and try to make amends for the harm you have done.

Leviticus 5:17 "And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist [it] not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity."

Respecting holy things: though he wist it not. Or did not know that he had transgressed a negative command.

"Yet he is guilty, and shall bear the iniquity": Be chargeable with guilt, and is liable to punishment, and must make an atonement and satisfaction for it (see Luke 12:48).

We see in this that ignorance is no excuse. Here in the United States, that is probably more so than any other place on the globe. Bibles are readily available at all book stores. A person has no excuse for not knowing the will of God in their lives. Read your Bible and find the will of God for yourself. In some countries of the world, it is not possible to buy a Bible, even if you had the money to buy it. It is up to us, who are so blessed to see that these people have the privilege of owning a Bible. We must send Bibles to those places at all cost. We are our brother's keeper.

Leviticus 5:18 "And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist [it] not, and it shall be forgiven him."

(See notes on Leviticus 5:15).

"With thy estimation for a trespass offering to the priest": Along with the offering was to be brought an estimate of whatsoever damage had been done through the breach of any of the commands of God. Where damage could take place, that so recompense be made as before directed. Or else the ram brought was to be valued, and examined whether it was worth two shekels of silver, as before explained (see notes on Lev. 5:15). But no fifth was required as in the former cases.

"And the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred, and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him" (see notes on Leviticus 5:10). This is what the Jews call "Asham Talui", or guilt-offering.

As we have said so many times in these lessons, this ram typifies Christ. It must be without blemish, as He was perfect in every way. God does not want second best, He wants you to be sold out to Him and bring Him the best you have.

Leviticus 5:19 "It [is] a trespass offering: he hath certainly trespassed against the LORD."

An offering for a trespass committed.

"He hath certainly trespassed against the Lord": Though committed ignorantly, and therefore an offering must be brought. For no sin of any kind must be overlooked, passed by, or forgiven, without a sacrifice, or without atonement made by sacrifice. Or, "he shall offer a trespass offering to the Lord", or before the Lord, as Onkelos. Or before the Word of the Lord, as Jonathan. And Maimonides out of Siphri observes, that whereas it is said, a trespass or trespass offering to the Lord, it was not lawful for the priests to eat of it.

Trespass was translated from "asham" which means fault. It is our fault, if we do not do as God has instructed us to do. LORD in this is Jehovah, the self-existent One. Sins may be different in that they usually involve other people, but trespass is directly disobeying God. One more time, I believe trespass differs from sin in that trespass is overlooking the things of God that we are obligated to do. It is a trespass of omission rather than commission, which is sin. When we pray we ask God to forgive us of our trespasses and sins. You can easily see; they are not the same.

Leviticus Chapter 5 Continued Questions

1. What was the only reason the offering for sin could vary?

2. What was the offering that the very poor were to bring?

3. Why was this offering not to be covered with frankincense?

4. Who is the Bread that can be a sin offering?

5. The shadow has no ________ but the person it shadows has ______.

6. What type of offering was Jesus for us when He was crucified?

7. This handful that the priest burned was spoken of as what?

8. What should the minister of the church live on?

9. Who is the minister of the church to help?

10. What shows the sincerity of the repentance in verse 12?

11. Who was giving all of this information to Moses?

12. These laws are many times called the law of Moses, but whose laws are they really?

13. For a trespass against God or the sanctuary, what was the offering to be brought, if the person could afford it?

14. How did the trespass offering differ from the sin offering?

15. What does silver symbolize?

16. How could you relate the trespass offering to our day?

17. What kind of a penalty was to be paid on a neglected gift payment?

18. If everyone in our society today would pay up on their tithes and pay 20% interest, what would we be able to do?

19. In verse 16, what wonderful promise was given, if they did as God instructed them?

20. God will accept backsliders back, but what must they do first?

21. Is ignorance a legitimate excuse with God?

22. Why must the people in the United States send Bibles all over the world?

23. Who does the ram typify in this offering?

24. What does trespass in these verses mean?

25. LORD, in verse 19, is whom?

26. One more time, how does the trespass differ from the sin offering?

Leviticus Chapter 6 Second Continued

These last few verses (in chapter 6), have to do with the sin offering. Let us just look into this, even before we start the verses. We know that Jesus Christ was the sin offering for all believers. We also know that He took our sin upon His body, that we might receive His righteousness. The sin offering was for sins that had been committed against God Himself. A sin of this nature would be much more serious than some of the lesser offenses we have been studying. I have said it before, but it is very important for us as Christians to see Jesus in this sin offering.

It is a very serious thing to decide to believe in Jesus and decide to live and work for Him the rest of your life. Before we decide to do such a thing, we must count the cost. Lot's wife lost her life, after she had been saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, by looking back. I will show you just one Scripture here that tells us the seriousness of looking back, after we have begun with God.

Luke 9:62 "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

We are warned in another Scripture to count the cost before we begin.

Luke 14:27- "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?"

Luke 14:33 "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

Whatever job God has called you to do, and you have accepted the call, you must continue to do until God says stop.

We have been speaking of the high priest and his sons, the priests, in these lessons. God has made those He called (the Christians), to be priests. I will give you 2 examples of Scriptures where the believers in Christ are called priests.

Revelation 1:6 "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Revelation 5:10 "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

Notice that kings and priests are not capitalized here. In the next Scripture, you will see that Jesus becomes the King, and we are His subordinate kings.

Revelation 17:14 "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful."

We are priests in the sight of God, if we are believers. We notice in all of this, that this offering must be eaten in the sanctuary. This means, to me, that the things of God are not to be mixed with the things of the world. We have our life, our very being, hidden in Him. He is our life.

Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

The things dedicated to God are holy and must not be contaminated by things of the world. Worldliness has no place in the church. We are to be holy for God is holy.

Verses 24-30: "All the males among the priests shall eat thereof" suggests that in some instances, members of the priests' families would eat the sacrifices too; although in this case, the priest alone was commanded to eat his portion.

"The sin offering" (see notes on 4:1 - 5:13).

Leviticus 6:24 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"

As is indicated by the special formula, this introduces a new law, or rather a more expanded law than the one contained (in Leviticus 4:1-5), giving more precise directions to the priests about the sin offering of the laity (Lev. 6:24-30).

A new thought begins here, and Moses wants it clearly understood that this message is from God. LORD here of course, is Jehovah.

Leviticus 6:25 "Speak unto Aaron and to 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."

Or the rules to be observed concerning that, besides what had been already delivered in (Lev. 4:1).

"In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord": And that was on the north side of the altar (see Lev. 1:11; see notes on 1:3-17). And so Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom observe, that the place of slaying every sin offering was the north. And some have observed that Mount Calvary, where our Lord was crucified, lay pretty much to the north of Jerusalem (see Psalm 48:2).

"It is most holy": Sacred to the Lord, offered up to him, and accepted by him, and typical of the most pure and holy sacrifice of Christ. Who was made sin, and an offering for sin, in the place of his people. "Most holy" (see note on 2:3).

The location seems to be important here. This animal will be killed just inside the door of the tabernacle. Jesus is the door that we enter to come to fellowship with God. Jesus also, is this offering. The altar spoken of here is the bronze altar of judgment. We have all been judged guilty of sin and worthy of death before we come to Jesus Christ our Savior. Remember again, that the person bringing the animal places their hand upon the animal's head to transfer the guilt of sin on the animal. The animal's blood is then shed to pay the penalty for sin. Blood is the only payment acceptable unto God. This animal becomes the substitute for this person who has sinned, just as Jesus became our substitute. The sin was paid in full by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Our offering (Jesus Christ), was most holy. He took our sin that we might become holy in the sight of God.

Leviticus 6:26 "The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation."

"Priest ... eat": The priest putting the offering on the brazen altar could use it for food, if the sacrifice was for a ruler (4:22-26), or the people (4:27-35).

We have dealt with this before, but I would like to show you one Scripture here.

John 6:53 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

Verses 27-28: Instructions on the cleanness of the priest's garments as they relate to blood.

Leviticus 6:27 "Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place."

None but holy persons, such as were devoted to holy services, even the priests and their sons, might touch and eat of the flesh of the sin offering. All that did so were sacred persons. And even what were used in eating it, dishes and knives, were to be put to no other use, not to any common service, or for anything but holy things. Which was done to keep up a veneration for the sacrifices. And especially for the great sacrifice they typified, the sacrifice of Christ, whose flesh is meat indeed. And whoever eats of that by faith dwells in Christ, and Christ dwells in him (John 6:55).

"And when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment; the garment of the priest that slays and offers it.

"Thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place": It was not to be carried out of the tabernacle, and washed elsewhere, but in the sanctuary. Either at the laver, where the priests washed their hands and feet, or in some room in the court for that purpose. This was done to preserve an esteem and value for the blood of the sacrifice, as typical of the precious blood of Christ.

It appears that sometimes the priest, in the preparation of the offering, would accidently drop some blood on the garment. He was to wash the garment inside the holy place. The garment was holy, because it had come into contact with the offering. Notice also, that the priests and the high priest were holy. They were not to get involved with worldly things. They were to be separated unto God.

2 Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,"

Christians, you cannot have one foot in the world and the other foot in heaven. You must choose between the world and God.

Leviticus 6:28 "But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water."

That being porous, the liquor in which the sin offering was boiled might soak into it, and the smell of it be retained, and therefore, as such vessels were not very costly, they were ordered to be broken. But where the broken pieces were carried and laid, the Jewish writers are at a loss about. For, those vessels which had served for holy uses, should be laid in an open public place and exposed, they thought was indecent. And as there might be in a course of time great quantities broken, so it would look very disagreeable and unseemly to have them lie in heaps in the sanctuary. They therefore have framed a miracle, and conceit that they were swallowed up in the ground where they were laid.

"And if it be sodden in a brazen it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water": Brass, being more valuable, must not be destroyed. And besides the liquor could not soak into that, and whatever scent it retained was easily and soon removed by scouring and rinsing. The former was with hot water, and the latter with cold, as Ben Gersom affirms.

This is a beautiful example of how things, or people dedicated to God, must not participate in worldly things. In an earthen vessel, it would be impossible to keep the things out of the pores of the vessel, so God said break them to keep them from being contaminated. In the case of the bronze pot, it could be scraped and cleaned so that it would not mix things used in it.

Leviticus 6:29 "All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it [is] most holy."

As of the meat offerings (Lev. 6:18), and this shows that not the single priest that offered only ate of it (Lev. 6:26). But his male children, and not those only, but those of other priests then upon duty, or in the court.

"It is most holy (see notes on Lev. 6:25).

We dealt with this before, but so no one can say they did not know, we will go through it again. The priests were symbolic of all believers in Christ (both male and female). All believers in Christ are spoken of as sons of God, just as all believers both male and female are the bride of Christ. You might say, well how can this be? With God there is no male and female. The only time we will have a gender is for our stay on this earth in the flesh. We are male and female on the earth to procreate life with God. We are spirit beings with a different kind of body than we had here on the earth. First I will give the Scripture that says with God there is no male or female.

Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

Now let me give you the Scriptures that say we will have a different kind of body in heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:42-45 "So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:" "It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:" "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit."

Leviticus 6:30 "And no sin offering, whereof [any] of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile [withal] in the holy [place], shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire."

"No sin offering ... eaten": Those sacrifices made on behalf of a priest (4:3-12), or the congregation (4:13-21), could be eaten.

We dealt with this fully, when we looked at the sin offering. We remember that for this particular offering, the offering was burned up except for the hide. The hide was given to the priest.

Leviticus Chapter 6 Second Continued Questions

1. Who was the sin offering for all believers?

2. He took our sin upon His body that we might take on His ________________.

3. Who had these sins been committed against?

4. Who must we see in these sin offerings?

5. What must a person do before deciding to totally commit to follow Christ?

6. Who lost her life when she looked back?

7. What is the message in Luke 9:62?

8. Who did Jesus say could not be His disciple?

9. When can you stop doing the job God called you to do?

10. In Revelation 1:6, what 2 things are the Christians called?

11. In Revelation 5:10, we read that we shall reign where?

12. Who is Jesus called in Revelation 17:14?

13. In the same verse, the Christians are called 3 things, what are they?

14. What does the author believe is meant by eating in the sanctuary?

15. What has no place in the church?

16. Where will the animal be killed for the sin offering?

17. Who opened the door that we Christians might fellowship with God?

18. What is the only payment for sin acceptable unto God?

19. What one word tells what Jesus was for us?

20. What does. John 6:53 say that we must do to have life in us?

21. Why was the garment the priest wore holy?

22. Where do we find the Scripture that tells us to be separate?

23. Why was the earthen vessel to be broken after being used in this offering?

24. What had to be done to the brazen vessel?

25. The males (in chapter 6:29), represented whom?

26. All believers in Christ are spoken of as ____ of God.

27. Who are the bride of Christ?

28. Where do we find the Scripture that says there is no male or female, because ye are all one in Christ Jesus?

29. There is a ____________ body, and there is a _____________ body.

30. The first Adam was a living soul: the last Adam was a ______________ ________.

Leviticus Chapter 7 Second Continued

Verses 28-36: This summary of sacrifices from the preceding chapters is a reminder that Yahweh prescribed these offerings as an act of mercy, to enable His people to approach Him and please Him. All these offerings were fulfilled in the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Leviticus 7:28 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"

At the same time the above laws were delivered; for what follows relates to the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

"Saying": As follows.

When we see this statement made by the LORD, we know we begin a new train of thought. Remember, LORD here means Jehovah.

Leviticus 7:29 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings."

"Offerings ... sacrifice": The worshiper made a peace offering from his sacrifice so that the Lord received the blood (verse 33), and the fat (verse 33). The priests received the breast (verses 30-31), and the right thigh (verse 33). The worshiper could use the rest for himself.

As I have said so many times, we must see a message for Christians in this, if we are to benefit by studying these offerings. We mentioned this before, but it bears repeating again. The only peace any of us have is the peace that Jesus brings us. Jesus is THE KING OF PEACE. He is our peace.

Ephesians 2:14 "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us];"

The He, in this Scripture, is Jesus. We are saved by grace and nothing else, but those who are truly saved want to work for God. There are 3 Scriptures (in James 1), I would like to quote here in regards to this.

James 2:18 "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

James 2:20 "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Verses 30-32: "Wave offering": This was a symbolic act indicating the offering was for the Lord. Bread (Exodus 29:23-24), meat (Exodus 29:22-24), gold (Exodus 38:24), oil (Lev. 14:12), and grain (Lev. 23:11), all served as wave offerings. Another type of offering was the heave offering. Jewish tradition portrayed the wave offering as being presented with a horizontal motion and the heave offering with a vertical motion, as suggested by (Lev. 10:15).

Leviticus 7:30 "His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved [for] a wave offering before the LORD."

That is, such parts of the peace offerings as were to be burnt with fire, as the fat on several parts described in (Lev. 3:3). The owners of the offerings were to bring them in the manner as will be presently observed.

"The fat with the breast, it shall he bring": The fat to be burnt, and the breast for the priest and his sons, as in the following verse (Lev. 7:31).

"That the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the Lord": How this waving was performed (see notes on Exodus 29:24), particularly with respect to these peace offerings it was thus. If a thank offering, the priest takes of the bread brought with it (one cake) out of ten, and lays it with the breast, the shoulder, and the inwards, and waves all upon the hands of the owners, on which he puts the fat. Then the breast and the shoulder above (i.e. upon the fat), then the two kidneys, and the caul, and the liver above them. And if there was any bread, he put it over them, and waved all, putting his hand under the hands of the owner.

One thing we must remember in this and all other offerings; this has to be a deliberate act of the offeror. Just as each person, coming to Christ, has to desire to come to the Lord. The Lord Jesus does not just save everyone; the person being saved has to desire to be saved. I believe that is what is intended above, when it says (His own hands). Salvation is individual. Salvation is for whosoever will. We have to desire salvation to receive it. God will not overrule our will and save us. Salvation comes to those who turn their will over to God's will. We must be willing to be saved. There is something man has to do to be saved. In an act of our own will, we must believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Acts 16:31 "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

When the offering was waved before the LORD, even though it was not burned up, it was first offered to God. Things Christians give to the church, even though it pays the preacher's salary, are offerings to God.

Leviticus 7:31 "And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'."

Of burnt offering, even the fat upon the inwards, the two kidneys, the flanks, the caul, and liver.

"But the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons": Which being waved before the Lord for a wave offering, was the Lord's, and so was given to his priests to eat of, for the service done by them. It being but reasonable that they that serve at the altar should live of it. And thus, with other things, a maintenance was provided for the priests and their families. As it should also to be for Gospel ministers under the present dispensation.

We see in this that it is not wrong for the servants of God to live of the gifts brought to God. God has His portion, but the ministers also, may partake of the gifts of God.

1 Corinthians 9:13-14 " Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live [of the things] of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?" "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."

Leviticus 7:32 "And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest [for] a heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings."

Whether of an ox or a cow, a lamb or a goat.

"Of the sacrifices of your peace offerings": Which were of either of these creatures. The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, "the right arm from the shoulder to the elbow." The breast being the seat of wisdom, and the shoulder of strength. Some think this denotes Christ as the wisdom and power of God unto his people, his priests. Who have all their knowledge and strength from him. And who bears them on his heart and on his shoulder.

The priest was to have the best offering, after it was heaved (dedicated), to God. The right side was always the best blessing. The heave offering was waved from side to side while being lifted up and down. Even though this was not burned as a sweet savor, this heaving showed that it was offered to God.

Leviticus 7:33 "He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for [his] part."

Who sprinkled the blood of them upon the altar round about, and burnt the fat upon it, which were rites enjoined to be observed (Lev. 3:2).

"Shall have the right shoulder for his part": His particular part and share, because of his service. Aben Ezra remarks, that the right shoulder was given to him that sprinkled the blood, and the breast to all the priests. And Jarchi observes, that he that was fit for sprinkling the blood, and burning the fat, and went out an unclean person in the time of sprinkling the blood, or burning the fat, had no part in the flesh.

In this offering, the best was given to the priest who offered the blood of this offering. The word that was translated shoulder here, means to run. On an animal all four legs are used to run, so it could have been any of them. It really does not matter which leg it was. It does matter that it was from the right side, which was the better of the blessings. It would have been an honor to offer the blood, and probably meant that it was the son who was directly in line to be the high priest after his father.

Leviticus 7:34 "For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel."

These two parts were particularly pitched upon and selected.

"From off the sacrifices of their peace offering": The rest being allowed the owners, besides what were burnt.

"And have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons, by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel": As long as the priesthood lasted, even to the coming of the Messiah, in whom all these sacrifices would have their accomplishment and their end.

The priests were a family who had no inheritance in the land. They were to live of the things of God. They were to be a separated people who depended entirely upon the Lord. The tribe of Levi actually took the place of the first born in each family. This offering that was theirs was for ever. If you look at their counterpart in our society today, they would be the ministers.

Leviticus 7:35 "This [is the portion] of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day [when] he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office;"

Of his being anointed to the priestly office. This is the part allotted and assigned him for the execution of it. This is the reward, as Aben Ezra interprets it, of his faithful performance of it. Namely, his having the wave breast and heave shoulder of the peace offerings, and a cake out of every one of the unleavened cakes, together with the leavened bread. Besides other perquisites from other offerings.

"And of the anointing of his sons": The successors of him in the priest hood. The Targum of Jonathan adds, above all their brethren the Levites.

"Out of the offerings of the Lord made by fire": Out of such whose fat on the several parts of them was burnt with fire, such as the peace offerings were.

"In the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest's office": When they were ordered to be taken out from among the children of Israel, and to be consecrated to, and invested with, the priest's office. As they were by Moses, and presented by him unto him as his priests. At that time the above portion was assigned them, as follows in the next verse.

Aaron and his sons did not choose this job for themselves, but were called of God for this purpose. Ministers could take a lesson from this today. If God did not call you to the ministry, you should not preach. No one should choose the ministry for a profession. The only way God will accept you as a minister is, if He called you. Ministry is a calling, not a profession.

Leviticus 7:36 "Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, [by] a statute for ever throughout their generations."

Whenever they brought their offerings to be offered up by them, such parts thereof were ordered to be allowed them as theirs.

"In the day that he anointed them": Or from the day they were anointed of Moses, by the direction of the Lord. From that time, they had a right and claim to the above things, out of the sacrifices brought, so Aben Ezra. "He anointed them" (see 8:30). And this was;

"By a statute for ever throughout their generations": In all successive generations, unto the coming of the Messiah, which would put an end to their priesthood. Thus, the Lord provided for the maintenance of his ministers, till that time came. And since it has been the ordinance of Christ, that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:13).

To try to preach without the anointing of God, would be a disaster. My own personal belief is that God sets persons aside for His ministry from their birth. Sometimes a person may be a long time in answering the call, but it is there from birth. It seems as if God protects those He has called with a special protection all of their life.

Verses 37-38: Moses gives a summary conclusion of (1:3 - 7:36).

Leviticus 7:37 "This [is] the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;"

"This is the law of the burnt offering": As delivered (Leviticus 6:9);

"Of the meat offering (as in Leviticus 6:14);

"And of the sin offering (as in Leviticus 6:25);

"And of the trespass offering (as in Leviticus 7:1);

"And of the consecrations; of Aaron and his sons to the priest's office (as in Lev. 6:20).

"And of the sacrifice of the peace offerings" (as in this chapter, Leviticus 7:11), for this is only a recapitulation of the several laws respecting these things before observed.

"And of the consecrations": This refers to the offerings at the ordination of Aaron and his sons (see 8:14-36; Exodus 29:1-46).

We see from this that, God provides for those in His service by the unique way of sharing in the gifts offered to Him. These offerings are for man to be able to fellowship with holy God. As we said at the beginning of (chapter 7), all the offerings and the consecrations and the sacrifices are fulfilled for the Christian by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 7:38 "Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai."

Or "by" or "near" Mount Sinai. For the above laws were not given to Moses when on the mount, but after the tabernacle was erected. And out of it, as appears (from Lev. 1:1), and to which what follows agrees.

"In the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai". Where they were when the above laws were delivered to them, and which wilderness had its name from the mount near to which they now were. And where the tabernacle was pitched, from where the Lord spoke. And so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, "in the tabernacle which they made for him in the wilderness of Sinai". There they were ordered to offer their oblations of every sort, as before directed. It should be observed, that this is understood of the command given in the wilderness to offer sacrifices, but not of the sacrifices themselves then offered. Which were not done while there (see Jer. 7:22).

We see these laws were given to Moses at Mount Sinai. They were to be kept forever by God's people. Physical Israel kept these in the physical. Spiritual Israel (Christians), keep all of these when they accept Jesus as the final fulfillment of them all. Jesus fulfilled the law when He gave His body on the cross as our substitution. Thank God, His sacrifice was sufficient for all time for all who will believe. How can you neglect so great a gift? Accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord today. Christians have a hope that the rest of the world does not have. We have the hope of the resurrection.

Leviticus Chapter 7 Second Continued Questions

1. Where is the only real peace found?

2. Why should a Christian study about these offerings?

3. Ephesians 2:14 tells us what?

4. What are we Christians saved by, and nothing else?

5. Faith without works is _______.

6. The body without the spirit is dead, so faith without ________ is dead also.

7. What does the statement "his own hands" say to us?

8. Who is salvation offered to?

9. What must we do to be saved?

10. What did the waving of the offering indicate?

11. What lesson can we learn from 1 Corinthians 9:13-14?

12. Why was the right shoulder mentioned specifically?

13. Describe how the heave offering was made?

14. What did the heaving of this offering show?

15. Who was the best of the offering given to?

16. What does the word shoulder literally translate?

17. Which of the sons was probably the one who offered the blood?

18. What were the priests and their families to live of?

19. The tribe of Levi actually took the place of whom?

20. Who would be the counterpart of these priests today?

21. Who decided Aaron and his sons would be priests?

22. What lesson could modern ministers take from this?

23. Who should choose the ministry for a profession?

24. Ministry is a _______, not a ___________.

25. To try to preach without the ____________ ___ _______, would be a disaster.

26. What purpose did these offerings have?

27. How do the Christians fulfill these offerings and consecrations?

28. Where did Moses receive these instructions?

29. Compare physical Israel and spiritual Israel in all of these offerings

Leviticus Chapter 8 Third Continued

Leviticus 8:29 "And Moses took the breast, and waved it [for] a wave offering before the LORD: [for] of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD commanded Moses."

Of the ram of consecration.

"And waved it for a wave offering before the Lord": This Moses seems to have waved with his own hands, and not upon the hands of Aaron and his sons. Putting his under them, as in the wave offering of the fat, shoulder, and cakes, and for which the following words seem to give a reason (see note on 7:30-32).

"For of the ram of consecration it was Moses's part": The breast of it was his.

"As the Lord commanded Moses (see Exodus 29:26).

This is to be eaten of Moses, after it was waved before the LORD. You remember that Moses was fulfilling the office of high priest in these ceremonies, so he was to eat this breast that had been waved before the LORD.

Leviticus 8:30 "And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which [was] upon the altar, and sprinkled [it] upon Aaron, [and] upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, [and] his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him."

Which was sprinkled upon the altar round about (Lev. 8:24). And these two seem to be mixed together, since it follows.

"And sprinkled it upon Aaron": etc. (see notes on Exodus 29:21).

As we have said in these lessons before, Aaron was a shadow not only of the ministers in the church, but his primary shadow was of Christ the great High Priest. The main difference shown in this particular verse is that Aaron's anointing was of this earth and was a partial anointing. Jesus was the fullness of the godhead bodily, and was not High Priest for a season, as Aaron was, but the High Priest forever. The priesthood of Jesus is not limited to this earth, but is for heaven as well.

Leviticus 8:31 "And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that [is] in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it."

After he had offered the bullock, the two rams, and cakes of unleavened bread for the consecration of them.

"Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation": The remainder of the flesh of the ram of consecration, which was all but the fat, the shoulder, and the breast.

"And there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecration": What was left of that, there being one cake of a sort taken out of it and burnt.

"As I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it" (see Exodus 29:32).

Remember again, that this second ram was the ram of consecration. It was really the peace offering. We must not lose sight of the fact that these sons of Aaron are shadows, or representatives, of all Christians. We also, noted that this flesh of the ram and the bread are symbolic of the flesh of Jesus.

John 6:53 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

Here again, we see that not only the ministers are to take of the Bread of Jesus, but all believers in Christ are to take of it as well.

Leviticus 8:32 "And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread shall ye burn with fire."

Until the next morning, which could not be eaten by Aaron and his sons.

"Shall ye burn with fire": That it might not be corrupted, nor put to common nor superstitious uses.

This is not to be mishandled, since it represents the flesh of Jesus. Ministers can take note of this as well. When we put out the Bread or the Fruit of the vine for communion, we are not to put what is left over back for another time. What has touched the serving trays must be consumed by the minister and the person who prepared it, or burned in the fire.

Verses 33-36: To emphasize the importance of following God's law, Aaron and his sons remained inside "the door of the tabernacle of the congregation" for the seven days of consecration. Their failure to obey the law would lead to death.

Leviticus 8:33 "And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation [in] seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you."

Which was the time of their consecration, so long it lasted. And they had provision enough every day from the ram of consecration, whose flesh they were to boil and eat. The Jewish writers are puzzled where they should ease nature, since the place was holy. But the orders are not to be considered as so strict but that they might go in and out, though they were not to stay long, or to attend to any other business. And it was always necessary there should be some upon the spot, keeping the Lord's charge in their turns. And it was always requisite that they should also sleep alternately. For it cannot be thought that they should be all this time without rest, any more than without food.

"Until the days of your consecration be at an end": Which were to continue so long.

"For seven days shall he consecrate you": That is, Moses, who here speaks of himself in the third person, as appears from (Exodus 29:35). Aben Ezra observes, that the word "end" is wanting, and that the sense is, at the end of seven days he shall consecrate you, finish their consecration. All the seven days he was doing it, and at the end of the seventh concluded it.

This seven day period shows that his dedication to the service of the sanctuary was complete. This also shows total separation from the world. Seven as you remember, means spiritually complete.

Leviticus 8:34 "As he hath done this day, [so] the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you."

The same were to be repeated every day until the seven days were ended. So Jarchi and Aben Ezra.

"To make an atonement for you, of the business of the day of atonement": And say, that it may be learned from hence that the high priest was obliged to be separate (from his own house and family), seven days before that. And so, the priest that burned the red heifer; and the same is observed by other Jewish writers. But this refers to neither of these cases, but to the present consecration of Aaron and his sons. And the making atonement by sacrifice for them, and the sanctification of them to minister in the priest's office.

The instructions that God had given Moses, have been carried out to the letter. This is what we must remember as well. Do it God's way. All the schemes we figure up in our mind to help our ministry will not help. Do it God's way, and it cannot fail. His way is perfect.

Leviticus 8:35 "Therefore shall ye abide [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded."

"Keep the charge of the LORD": The commandment of God ordered Aaron and his sons to do exactly as the Lord had spoken through Moses. Disobedience would meet with death.

Abide means to continually stay. We can see in the position at the door of the sanctuary, the fact that the ministers of the Word of God are not in heaven (holy of holies). Neither are they in the world (outside the gate of the tabernacle). The minister, (who Aaron represents), and the Christians, (who Aaron's sons represent), are actually on their way to heaven, but not there yet. All we who profess to be Christians, may be in the world, but we are not of this world. Our ultimate destination is heaven.

1 John 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." "For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

This tells the position of the minister and the believers in Christ. The minister's duty is to guard the entrance of the sanctuary. The work of the LORD is not a part time job. If you are acceptable to God, you must be a Christian 24 hours a day, seven days a week. God will not settle for less. In the next few verses, Christians are instructed on how to watch while they are still on earth.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." "Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober." "For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night." "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation."

To me, one of the saddest parables in the Bible, is the parable of the 10 virgins. Spiritual virgins are all believers in Christ. This tells me that all ten of the virgins were believers. Five were ready, and five were not, when the call came. I believe this shows us the condition of Christians today. It doesn't matter whether they are the head of a church, or just a member. Remember with me one more time, that Aaron represents the leaders of the church and his sons represent the believing congregation. We read in the last Scripture above from Leviticus, "Abide, that ye die not. What could cause them to die? They could die if they step back into the world or let the world come in at the door. I will not belabor this, but we see the world creeping into the church today. We see many of our leaders going in and out to the world, and then coming back into the church. The warning if we do that, is DEATH. Will you be one of the five virgins that has watched and kept your lamp burning, or will you be one of the five who tired waiting for the LORD and let your lamp burn out?

Leviticus 8:36 "So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses."

They submitted to have them done to them, and for them, what was done on the first day of their consecration, all the rest of the days. And they kept within the tabernacle all that time as was enjoined them.

To obey is better than sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams."

God is sending a warning to our churches and their people today in these verses here in Leviticus. I can just hear some of you saying how ridiculous to study the Old Testament to know how to live today. What do the Scriptures themselves say about this?

1 Corinthians 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

I said at the beginning of these lessons in Leviticus, it would be of no use at all to study this book of the Old Testament, if we could not see instructions for living pleasing lives before God today. Chapter 8 has taught us what our churches, and all who believe in the LORD should do today.

Leviticus Chapter 8 Third Continued Questions

1. Leviticus chapter 8 verse 29 says that what part of the offering was for Moses?

2. What was to be done with this breast of the animal, before it was given to Moses?

3. What 2 things did Moses sprinkle on Aaron and Aaron's sons?

4. What else did Moses sprinkle besides Aaron and his sons?

5. What 2 was Aaron a type and shadow of?

6. Who were Aaron's sons' representative of?

7. What was the main difference between Aaron's anointing and Jesus' anointing?

8. What were Aaron's sons to do, before they ate the flesh?

9. What was to be eaten with the flesh?

10. What do both the flesh and the Bread represent?

11. The second ram offered was a ram of ________________.

12. What type offering was this really?

13. In John 6:53, what 2 things must you do to have life?

14. Who is communion for?

15. What was to be done with any flesh left over?

16. What lesson can ministers get from this?

17. How long are Aaron and his sons to stay at the door of the tabernacle?

18. What does this period of time tell us about this consecration?

19. What does abide mean?

20. What 2 places do we see from verse 35 that ministers are not?

21. What in the tabernacle represents heaven?

22. Where pertaining to the tabernacle represents the world?

23. Christians are ____ the world, but not ____ the world.

24. In 1 John 2:15, we are warned not to love what?

25. If you do love this forbidden place, what is not in you?

26. What 3 things are specifically mentioned that are bad in the world?

27. How many hours are all believers to be stayed upon God?

28. In 1 Thessalonians Christians are called children of the ________.

29. We Christians are not to sleep, but do what 2 things?

30. What is the breastplate Christians should put on?

31. What is the helmet we should wear?

32. What does the author believe is one of the saddest parables in the Bible?

33. In the parable, who are the virgins?

34. What does this tell us about our present church?

35. What does the Scripture tell us that these happenings are for those upon whom the end of the world are come?

36. Which of the ten virgins do you fall into?

37. Why should believers in Christ study the Old Testament?

Leviticus Chapter 9 Continued

Leviticus 9:15 "And he brought the people's offering, and took the goat, which [was] the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first."

To the altar, having offered his own first.

"And took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it": Where he had slain his own.

"And offered it for sin, as the first": The first offering he offered for himself, which was of the same sort.

In this lesson, I will not get into every little detail about what each item symbolizes. We dealt with those things in a previous lesson. I will however, remind all of us about some of the important differences in each offering. The most important thing to remember here, is that the offering for the entire congregation was the same as for the priest. This again, indicates that the priest will pay a higher price for his sins, because he sinned in knowledge.

Leviticus 9:16 "And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner."

The calf and the lamb (Lev. 9:3).

"And offered it according to the manner": Judgment, ordinance, and appointment of God respecting that sort of offerings (see Lev. 1:1).

The thing that stands out to me in this is, that Aaron has learned his lesson well, and he is doing the offerings in the proper order.

Leviticus 9:17 And he brought the meat offering, and took a handful thereof, and burnt [it] upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning."

Made of fine flour, with oil and frankincense put upon it (see Lev. 2:1).

"And took a handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar" (see Lev. 2:2).

"Beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning": The daily morning sacrifice, which was not to be omitted on account of these extraordinary sacrifices, both for the priest and for the people. Or "after the burnt sacrifice of the morning"; for no sacrifice was offered up before that: so Jarchi.

We must not forget that the meat offering had no animal flesh involved. It contained the elements to make bread. Jesus is the Bread of life. Jesus spoke of His flesh as the Bread.

John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

This Scripture in John makes it very clear why this offering of bread is called meat. It symbolizes the flesh of Jesus.

Leviticus 9:18 "He slew also the bullock and the ram [for] a sacrifice of peace offerings, which [was] for the people: and Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about,"

That they might feast, rejoice, and be glad that atonement was made for their sins, and their gifts and sacrifices accepted of God (see Rom. 5:11).

"And Aaron's sons presented unto him the blood": Of the peace offerings, the bullock and the ram, which they had received into a vessel as they were killing them.

"Which he sprinkled upon the altar round about": As he did with the blood of his own burnt offering (Lev. 9:12).

The important thing to remember is, that Jesus is our peace.

Ephesians 2:14 "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us];"

Leviticus 9:19 "And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth [the inwards], and the kidneys, and the caul [above] the liver:"

Which in all offerings was the Lord's, and was burnt (see Lev. 3:16).

"The rump": Or tail of the ram. Which in those countries was very large, and had a great deal of fat upon it (see notes on Exodus 29:22; Lev. 3:9).

"And that which covereth the inwards": Called the "omentum".

"And the kidneys, and the caul above the liver": And the fat that was upon each of these. Ben Gersom observes, that the kidneys and liver are mentioned last, to show that they were laid uppermost in waving (after directed to), that the owners might be stirred up, or moved by these things.

Leviticus 9:20 "And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar:"

Both of the bullock and of the ram, while they were waving.

"And he burnt the fat upon the altar": After having been waved.

The fat in every offering was God's. The rump here, was actually the fat tail of the animal. The fat and all of these inward parts were to be burned as a sweet savor to the LORD. The breast was not burned here. It was just the fat and inwards burned.

Leviticus 9:21 "And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved [for] a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded."

The breasts of the bullock and the ram, and the right shoulders of them both.

"Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord": Which was given to him as his part of the peace offerings, after they had been thus waved before the Lord. Whereby an acknowledgment was made that he was Lord of all, and had a right to all they had. In token of which these parts were given to his priests towards their maintenance.

"As Moses commanded (see Exodus 29:27).

This waving of the breast and shoulder was raising it up to God in offering, that God might bless it for their consumption later. The priest would eat this breast after it was properly cooked such as boiling or baking.

Leviticus 9:22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.

After he had offered the above sacrifices both for himself and them. The manner of the priests lifting up their hands when they blessed is thus described. In the provinces, the priests lifted up their hands to their shoulders, and in the sanctuary above their heads. Excepting the high priest, who did not lift up his hands above the plate of gold. But R. Judah says, the high priest lifted up his hands above the plate, as it is said (Lev. 9:22). The modern Jews describe it thus: they lift up their hands to their shoulders, and they lift up the right hand somewhat higher than the left. Then they stretch out their hands, and part their fingers, and frame them so as to make five airs. Between two fingers and two fingers one air, and between the forefinger and the thumb, and between the two thumbs. They spread out their hands so, that the middle (or palm) of the hand may be towards the earth, and the back part of it towards heaven. Aaron lifted his hands upwards, signifying from whence he implored the blessing, and towards the people on whom he desired it might descend. In this was a type of Christ, who, after he had offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of his people, when he was risen from the dead and about to ascend to heaven, blessed his disciples (Luke 24:50). In Christ, the saints are blessed with all spiritual blessings. By him they are procured for them, through his blood, sacrifice, and satisfaction. And he ever lives to make intercession for the application of them to them (see Eph. 1:3).

"And came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings": From the altar with joy, as the Targum of Jonathan. Being glad he had done his service with acceptance. He is said to "come down", there being a rise or ascent to the altar, which, as Aben Ezra observes, was three cubits high, and therefore it is with propriety said he came down. Which he did as soon as he had made an end of offering all the sacrifices.

Up until this time, all blessings of God spoken on the people had been done by Moses. Now Aaron is taking on his job as high priest. He is speaking a blessing that actually came from God, but God used him to speak it. This lifting up his hands toward heaven showed that Aaron knew where his power came from. All of the offerings had foreshadowed the sacrifice that Jesus would make for us all. This sin offering showed the placing of the sin on the one being offered. Our sins were placed on Jesus and He became our substitute (in the sin offering). In the burnt offering, we see Christ offered up to God (a sweet savor to God). I believe the statement (not my will but thine), is covered in this offering, as we said earlier in this lesson. Jesus is our peace. We could say in the peace offering, not by works, but by grace am I saved. All of these offerings are made in a short time period. It is impossible to separate them totally. They all symbolize some aspect of what God did for all believers through Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 9:23 "And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people."

They went out of the court where the altar of burnt offering stood, and where Aaron had been offering the sacrifices. And they went into the Holy Place, where stood the altar of incense, the showbread table, and the candlestick. And it is probable Moses went in with Aaron there to show him how to offer the incense, to order the showbread on the table, and to light and trim the lamps of the candlestick. And so Jarchi observes, that he went in to teach him concerning the business of the incense. But it may be, it was also to pray for the people, as the Targum, and for the Lord's appearance to them, as was promised and expected. And that fire might descend on the sacrifices as a token of acceptance of them, as Aben Ezra notes.

"And came out, and blessed the people": Aaron had blessed them before, but now both Moses and Aaron blessed them. Atonement being made by the sacrifice of Christ, and law and justice thereby fully satisfied. Christ and the law agree together in the blessing of the Lord's people. The way was hereby made for the communication of blessings to them, consistent with the law of God, and his holiness and justice (Gal. 3:10).

"And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people": Some visible signs of his glory, some very great splendor or luster, or breaking forth of his glory. Or Christ, the glory of the Father, appeared in a human form, as a pledge of his future incarnation, when all the above sacrifices, which were types of him, would have their accomplishment. And this being immediately upon the offering of them, may signify that the glory of God greatly appears in the sacrifice and satisfaction of Christ, and in the redemption and salvation of his people in that way (Psalm 21:4). And the glorious and gracious presence of God is enjoyed by his people, in consequence of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, which was signified by the mercy seat, from whence the Lord communed. And it is through Christ, his blood and sacrifice, saints have access to God, and fellowship with him (Eph. 2:18).

We sing a little chorus at our church which says (I want to see Jesus). I believe that is the desire of all true believers in Christ. I refuse to worship in any church where the presence of God is absent. We know that the presence of God was in the sanctuary in the Holy of Holies. Remember, the congregation could not go into that area. The presence of Moses and Aaron here, shows the people that God speaks through them both. This glory spoken of here I believe, is the Shekinah glory of God. In this the people would not see the face of God, but a great presence of light. This Light would be the same Light that Paul encountered on the road to Damascus when his life was totally transformed.

Acts 9:3 "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:"

We know that man cannot see the face of God and live. This is a presence of God that cannot be denied, such as a very bright light. Many times throughout the Bible, God has appeared to someone. Usually he appears in some form of fire, or smoke made by fire, or a light.

Leviticus 9:24 "And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: [which] when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces."

Either from heaven, or from the Holy of Holies, where was the symbol of the divine Presence, and Jehovah had now taken up his residence.

"And consumed upon the altar the burnt offering, and the fat": according to Aben Ezra, the burnt offering of Aaron, and of the people, and of the daily sacrifice. For so it is written, besides the burnt offering of the morning (Lev. 9:17). And the fat of the calf and ram of Aaron, and of the goat, ox, and ram of the people, which though they were laid upon the altar at the time of their offering. Yet it is thought by some they were not burnt till now. Yet, with respect to the persons for whom this sacrifice was offered, it denotes acceptance of it, that it was an offering by fire, and of a sweet smelling savor to God. His law and justice being satisfied, and having honor done them. Concerning this fire, and the perpetual burning of it (see notes on Lev. 6:12; 6:13).

"Which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces": Aaron blessing them, and the appearance of the glory of God unto them, no doubt, gave them joy and pleasure, as the spiritual blessings by Christ, and the gracious presence of God do to his people (Psalm 103:1). But what filled them with joy unspeakable was the acceptance of their sacrifices, as typical of the sacrifice of Christ, and atonement by it, which made them shout. And the court to ring with it; and yet fell down on their faces with all reverence and humility, under a sense of the divine Majesty being so near unto them, in this sensible token of his presence.

There was fire already present on the altar for these offerings. Generally, the fire under the offerings would take the period of a full day to consume the offering. This was an unusual fire then. Look in the following verse what God calls Himself.

Hebrews 12:29 "For our God[is] a consuming fire."

This fire that totally consumes this offering then is the fire of God, which came from the Holy of Holies and consumed these offerings. This very same thing happened when Solomon dedicated the great temple in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 7:1 "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house."

This is the very same thing that happened to Moses, Aaron, and the people here. God was so pleased, that He overwhelmed them with His presence. His immediate consumption of the offering showed that He was greatly pleased with their offering. One more time that I think shows this same thing so strongly, is when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to call fire from heaven. If they had consumed the offering with fire, they would win. If Elijah's God consumed his offering, they were all to follow Elijah's God. Let us see what happened.

1 Kings 18:19-39 "Now therefore send, [and] gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table." "So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel." "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word." "Then said Elijah unto the people, I, [even] I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets [are] four hundred and fifty men." "Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay [it] on wood, and put no fire [under]: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay [it] on wood, and put no fire [under]:" And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken." "And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress [it] first; for ye [are] many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire [under]." "And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed [it], and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But [there was] no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made." "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he [is] a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, [or] peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." "And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them." "And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the [time] of the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, that [there was] neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." "And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD [that was] broken down." "And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:" "And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed." "And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid [him] on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour [it] on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood." "And he said, Do [it] the second time. And they did [it] the second time. And he said, Do [it] the third time. And they did [it] the third time." "And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water." "And it came to pass at [the time of] the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou [art] God in Israel, and [that] I [am] thy servant, and [that] I have done all these things at thy word." "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou [art] the LORD God, and [that] thou hast turned their heart back again." "Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that [was] in the trench." "And when all the people saw [it], they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he [is] the God; the LORD, he [is] the God."

The effect of the extreme presence of God is always the same. They fall on their face to worship Him. This manifestation is so great; it leaves no doubt that this is God. Read the rest of 1 Kings chapter 18 of to get the full story.

To sum up this lesson, Moses has followed God's instructions. Aaron is installed as high priest. God is pleased, and the people realize this is God's plan, and not man's plan.

Leviticus Chapter 9 Continued Questions

1. What was different in the people's offering and the priest's offering?

2. What lesson can we learn in this?

3. What is strange about the meat offering, being called meat?

4. What do the elements of the meat offering make up?

5. Who is the Bread?

6. What does the offering of bread as a meat offering symbolize?

7. Who is the Christian's peace?

8. The fat in every offering belonged to whom?

9. The fat burned made a ________ ________ to God.

10. What did the waving of the breast symbolize?

11. Who had spoken the blessings of God to the people, before Aaron was ordained?

12. What did the fact that Aaron raised his hands toward heaven symbolize?

13. Jesus was our ____________ for our sin, in the sin offering.

14. Jesus was a sweet savor unto God for us in which offering?

15. In which offering was Jesus our peace?

16. What is the desire of every true Christian?

17. Where was the presence of God ordinarily, in the tabernacle in the wilderness?

18. What does the author believe the glory of the LORD to be?

19. Who did this glory appear to?

20. What did Paul see, when the glory of the LORD appeared to him?

21. What did the Fire do that came out in front of the people?

22. What effect did this have on the people?

23. What happened when Solomon had finished praying, when the temple in Jerusalem was dedicated to God?

24. What did this immediate consumption of the offering by God show the people?

25. What false god did Elijah and the real God discredit on Mount Carmel?

26. How many prophets of Baal prayed to their false god?

27. How long did they pray?

28. Did their long prayer help?

29. What other obstacle did Elijah place before God?

30. What happened when Elijah prayed to the real God?

31. What effect did this have on the people?

32. Sum up this lesson.

Leviticus Chapter 10

Verses 1-7: "Nadab and Abihu ... his censer": The censers were fairly flat pans in which burning coals were carried. The "strange fire" has many different interpretations:

(1) Coals that were not taken from the altar as required in 16:12;

(2) Offering it at the wrong time of day (compare Exodus 30:7-9), which prohibits "strange incense";

(3) Apparently, no one except the High-Priest himself should place incense on a censer of coals and present it to God; or

(4) That Nadab and Abihu were even intoxicated, thus making the prohibition of (verse 9), significant.

Whatever the case may have been, it is clear that it was strange fire "which he commanded them not;" they certainly knew that it was in violation of God's Word. God's words "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified", set the theme for the whole book. The whole nation was called to be holy (19:2). A clearer translation would be": Among those who approach Me I will show Myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored". Any disobedience of God's commands detracted from His glory! Those who begin to approach God must know that He is "separate from everyone else" and must approach Him on His terms. Even in a time of great calamity, the priests of the Lord must set an example to the nation of strict obedience to the will of God: "and ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle ... lest ye die (verse 7). Nothing must be allowed to interfere with the work of the ministry.

Leviticus 10:1 "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not."

"Nadab and Abihu": These were the two oldest sons of Aaron.

"His censer": The vessels in which the incense was burned in the Holy Place (its features are unknown), was to be used only for holy purposes.'

"Strange fire": Though the exact infraction is not detailed, in some way they violated the prescription of offering incense (compare Exodus 30:9, 34-38), probably because they were drunk (see verses 8-9). Instead of taking the incense fire from the brazen altar, they had some other source for the fire and thus perpetrated an act, which, considering the descent of the miraculous fire they had just seen and their solemn duty to do as God told them, betrayed carelessness, irreverence, and lack of consideration for God. Such a tendency had to be punished for all priests to see as a warning.

God's service requires the right approach to God, the right source for God's power, and the right spiritual attitude. Nadab and Abihu failed to see the mind of God and acted in self-will. The act typifies the use of carnal means to kindle fires of true devotion and praise.

The word strange, in the verse above, means profane or commit adultery. In this case, this would be spiritual adultery. Nadab and Abihu had been instructed in the things of the sanctuary along with Aaron. They knew how important it was to keep every little detail. Perhaps they were so excited by the presence of God that they forgot this training. Verse 1 above begins with an "and", which indicates that this happened at the same time as the happenings in chapter 9. We do not know where they got the fire from in the verse above. We really do not know what was wrong about the offering at all. Perhaps they had made an offering to God that only the high priest was to give. As we read on in this chapter, Aaron is warned of God not to allow anyone ministering in the sanctuary to drink alcoholic beverages. To say for sure, just what the offence was, would be an error on our part. We do know that whatever they did, it was not offered God's way. We ended the last chapter by saying that the important thing was for these offerings to be done God's way and not man's way. There is a verification of this in numbers.

Numbers 26:61 "And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD."

Whatever this sin was, they each committed it. The Scripture says either of them took his censer.

Leviticus 10:2 "And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."

"Went out fire": The same divine fire that accepted the sacrifices (9:24), consumed the errant priests. That was not unlike the later deaths of Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:6-7), or Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:5, 10).

God was quick in His judgement of them. He killed them. Many believe that these two priestly sons of Aaron had indulged in alcoholic beverages and were attempting to minister in the tabernacle under the influence of this alcohol. This could certainly be the case. Not only would God not let them minister in the tabernacle under the influence of alcohol, but their judgement would be greatly impaired on how they were to go about the service to the Lord. It really doesn't matter what was the problem, they were guilty of sin and God killed them. These sons of Aaron had been trained in the ways of the sanctuary, and they were without excuse. These were not just any young men, but were in authority in the tabernacle, just under Aaron. For sure, this would make a never ending impression on the onlookers. Most people want to believe in Jesus and believe He is their Savior, but very few want to acknowledge the fact that He is also Judge. The same God, who blesses if His commandments are kept, will curse if they are not kept.

Leviticus 10:3 "Then Moses said unto Aaron, This [is it] that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace."

The experience of Nadab and Abihu is a staunch reminder that those who "come nigh" to the Lord must regard Him as "holy", for as God says, "Before all the people I will be glorified". By his silence, Aaron acknowledges that the Lord was justified in slaying his sons.

"I will be sanctified ... I will be glorified": Nadab and Abihu were guilty of violating both requirements of God's absolute standard. The priests had received repeated and solemn warnings as to the necessity of reverence before God (see Exodus 19:22; 29:44).

"Aaron held his peace": In spite of losing his two sons, he did not complain, but submitted to the righteous judgment of God.

Moses was actually the uncle of these boys, and he hated what happened to them. Moses quickly reminds Aaron that God is justified in this. This tabernacle was not to be as the world, but was to be a separate place. The high priest and his sons, the priests, were to glorify God in everything they did. They could not glorify God, unless everything was done His way. This tells us so much about how we should conduct services to God. WE CANNOT BRING THE WORLD INTO THE CHURCH.

That does not glorify God. Ministers are the only visible connection some people will ever have with God (here on the earth). Just as Aaron represented God to the people in the tabernacle then, our ministers represent God to their congregation now. The minister and his or her family, must live beyond reproach to be able to show the world Christ in them. Aaron does not speak out against what God has done, because he knows it was justified.

Leviticus 10:4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp."

"Mishael and Elzaphan" (see Exodus 6:22 for their lineage). This procedure prevented the priests from defiling themselves by handling the dead bodies (Lev. 21:1), and allowed the whole congregation to see the result of such disregard for the holiness of God.,

"Out of the camp": As this was done with the ashes of sacrificed animals (6:11), so it was done with the remains of these two priests who received God's wrath.

Moses, Aaron, or the other sons of Aaron could not touch a dead body while they were ministering in the temple. Mishael and Elzaphan were cousins of the 2 dead and they were called of Moses to come and take the bodies away. One of the Scriptures covering this is found in:

Leviticus 21:10-12 "And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;" "Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;" "Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God [is] upon him: I [am] the LORD."

Leviticus 10:5 "So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said."

To the place where the bodies lay, having an order from Moses so to do.

"And carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said": Or bid them to do. They took them up in their clothes as they found them, and carried them away in them. Not that these men carried them in their own coats, but in the coats of the dead men, as Jarchi expresses it. And took them without the camp, and there buried them. Probably in the coats in which they had sinned, and in which they died. The Targum of Jonathan says, they carried them on iron hooks in their coats, and buried them without the camp.

Had these two not been called to do this task, they would have been in trouble too. The thing that saved them was the fact they were called. They covered them up with their coats. This had to be a sobering lesson, not only for Aaron and his sons, but for the congregation, as well.

Verses 6-7: The prohibition against the customary signs of mourning was usually reserved for the High-Priest only as prescribed in (21:10-12). Here, Moses applies it to Eleazar and Ithamar also.

To "uncover" one's head and "rend ... clothes", were mourning practices at the time. As priests who were ministering before the Lord (21:10-12), Aaron and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar", were to remain in the tabernacles and perform their work. Others would mourn ("bewail the burning"), in their place.

Leviticus 10:6 "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled."

"Eleazar and ... Ithamar": Aaron's youngest sons who yet lived. Later, the line of Eleazar would be designated as the unique line of the High-Priest (compare Num. 25:10-13).

Aaron and his other 2 sons are not to mourn at all for the 2 brothers that were killed by God. This would show that they believed the punishment of God was just. The congregation would be allowed to grieve, but Aaron, Ithamar, and Eleazar could not show any signs of mourning, or the wrath of God would fall not, only on them, but on the entire congregation. I believe the bewailing the congregation did was also a kind of trembling at the wrath of God in action.

Leviticus 10:7 "And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD [is] upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses."

That is, they were not to relinquish the service of the sanctuary, on the account of the death of their relations. And through in grief for it, they must go on. Not Aaron on account of his children, nor his sons on account of their brethren. From here, says Ben Gersom, we learn, that whatsoever priest leaves his service, and goes out of the sanctuary, is guilty of death. Some think the seven days of consecration were not quite over, during which time Aaron and his sons were obliged to continue there, on fear of death (Lev. 8:33). But it is pretty plain those days were over, and that it was the day after the consecration was finished (see Lev. 9:1 and notes on Lev. 10:2). Wherefore this respects their continuance in the tabernacle on the day the above affair happened. And they were obliged to continue in and go through the service of the day, notwithstanding that.

"For the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you": A learned man infers from hence, that this affair happened within the days of consecration. They being every day freshly anointed with oil, at least had it, with the blood of the sacrifices, sprinkled on them, and on their garments. Taking it in the strict sense, for the oil being still upon them. Whereas it seems only to signify, that inasmuch as they were consecrated with oil to the priest's office, they were under obligation to continue and perform their service without being hindered by what had happened.

"And they did according to the word of Moses": They showed no tokens of mourning on account of the dead, and did not offer to go out of the tabernacle and leave their service.

The fear of God was greater than their desire to grieve. They did as Moses told them. They would not be able to bury their own dead. It was a very serious thing to be anointed with the holy oil for service in the tabernacle. A very good example of this is when Jesus said, let the dead bury their dead in Matthew.

Matthew 8:22 "But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."

Another Scripture that indicates the calling of God is ahead of all other calls, is in:

Luke 9:60 "Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."

I would tend to believe that this is saying, if a person is dead, there is nothing you can do for them. Go to the living and preach the gospel, so that when they die, they will spend eternity in heaven. This may seem to be a hard lesson, but I believe God is trying to drive home the fact that the call of God has to be above everything else. A person who answers that call has to put the world behind them. Their thoughts and deeds must be stayed on God. The world must be able to see Jesus in you. Even family must not stop you from serving God. The call of God, is without repentance. There are few pleasures in this life for those who choose to answer that call, but the rewards in heaven far outweigh any problems we might face here on the earth. Once you have decided to serve, never look back, just move forward with God. This next Scripture tells of how God feels about those who do not stay with their call.

Luke 9:62 "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Leviticus Chapter 10 Questions

1. Who were the 2 sons of Aaron who offered strange fire before the LORD?

2. What does the word strange mean in verse 1?

3. What kind of adultery would this be?

4. What single word in verse 1 indicates that chapter 10 is a continuation of chapter 9?

5. What were 2 of the possible wrong-doings these sons did?

6. What important message did we end the last lesson with, that applies here?

7. In what other book of the Bible do we read of the wrong-doings of Nadab and Abihu?

8. How do we know that both of the sons committed this sin?

9. What killed Nadab and Abihu?

10. What do a great number of people believe the sin was, of these 2?

11. What position in the tabernacle did Nadab and Abihu hold?

12. We all want Jesus as our Savior, but we do not want to admit He is our ________.

13. Moses told Aaron that God wanted to be sanctified in whom?

14. Before all the people, God was to be _____________.

15. What does, Aaron held his peace mean?

16. We cannot bring the ________ into the church.

17. Who represented God to the people in the tabernacle?

18. Which 2 did Moses call to take the dead bodies out?

19. What relation were these 2 to the 2 who died?

20. Why could not their other 2 brothers take them out?

21. What special rules prevailed over Aaron while the anointing of the tabernacle with the oil was upon him?

22. How did the 2 cousins carry the dead bodies out?

23. What other 2 sons of Aaron are mentioned in verse 6?

24. What warning did Moses give Aaron and his 2 remaining sons?

25. Who would the wrath of God fall on, if Aaron or his 2 remaining sons disobeyed God in this?

26. In what Scripture did Jesus say, "Let the dead bury the dead"?

27. What does the author believe this is really saying?

28. The call of God has to be above ______________

Leviticus Chapter 11 Second Continued

Leviticus 11:37 "And if [any part] of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it [shall be] clean."

That which is selected from the other seed in order to be sown, and which is laid by and laid up for that purpose. Should the carcass, or any part of the carcass of a creeping thing fall upon a heap of it, into a vessel in which it was put, as a dead mouse or the like.

"Yet it shall be clean": Be fit for use and sown in the earth; because being cast into the earth, and dying and quickening there, and then springing up again in stalk and ear, it would go through various changes before it became the food of man. The Targum of Jonathan describes it, such as is sown in its dryness. Or being dry; for if it was wetted it was unfit for use, as follows.

We know that when a seed falls into the ground, it dies. and the new plant which comes from the seed, can produce beautiful fresh products. It is amazing to me, that a seed can be planted in a place covered with fertilizer, and the fruit the plant brings forth is clean and sweet. There is a process of death and life here that mortal man does not understand. The reason the seed above is not unclean, is that it will never be eaten in its present form. The new seed that comes from this dead seed will be perfectly clean.

Leviticus 11:38 "But if [any] water be put upon the seed, and [any part] of their carcase fall thereon, it [shall be] unclean unto you."

Either accidentally or on purpose. Whether on sowing seed, and with water with which they water the field, as Aben Ezra interprets it. Or on seed used for food, by steeping it in water, as sometimes wheat is, and boiled. And whether it is water or the rest of the liquors, and whether they are put on the seed, or the seed falls into them, it matters not. As Jarchi says:

"And any part of their carcass fall thereon": That is, on the seed. Though Aben Ezra observes, some say upon the water. The Targum of Jonathan adds, in its moisture, or while it is wet. And so may be thought to be more susceptible of impurity from the touch of a dead reptile, or any part of it, and which would render it unfit for sowing or eating, until it was dried and cleansed. Yea, Jarchi says, if it falls thereon, even after it is dried:

"It shall be unclean unto you": Unfit for use.

If water got on the seed, it would probably cause it to sprout, and the contamination would be soaked into the seed.

Leviticus 11:39 "And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even."

Any clean beast, as the ox, sheep, goat, deer, etc. What, if rightly killed, is very lawful to eat of. But if it died of itself through any distemper, or was torn by the wild beasts, so the Targum of Jonathan:

"He that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even": Not the bones, nerves, horns, hoofs, or skin, as Jarchi observes. These might be handled, because some of them, at least, were wrought up into one instrument or another, by artificers, for use and service, but the flesh of them might not be touched. Whoever did touch it was ceremonially unclean, and might not go into the sanctuary, or have conversation with men, until the evening of the day in which this was done.

Leviticus 11:40 "And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even."

For though it might be eaten, if rightly killed, yet not if it died of itself, or was strangled, or torn to pieces by wild beasts.

"Shall wash his clothes": Besides his body, which even he that touched it was obliged to.

"And be unclean until the even": Though he and his clothes were washed, and he might not go into the court of the tabernacle, or have any concern with holy things, or conversation with men.

"He also that beareth the carcass of it": Removes it from one place to another, carries it to the dunghill, or a ditch, and there lays it, or buries it in the earth.

"Shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even": From whence, as before observed by the Jewish writers, uncleanness by bearing is greater than uncleanness by touching, since the former obliged to washing of clothes, not so the latter. So Jarchi here; and yet still was unclean until the evening, though he had washed himself in water, as Aben Ezra notes. And so says Jarchi, though he dips himself, he has need of the evening of the sun.

Even clean animals have a possibility of carrying diseases when they die, and in that case, the people would not be permitted to eat them. This then, has to be an animal that was killed on purpose for some reason or other. It would also be an animal where someone quickly cut its throat, so the blood would drain. Hebrews were forbidden to eat blood. Even if all these things were done, the person who was preparing the meat would get very nasty in the process. They would need to wash themselves and their clothes to get rid of the dirt they had gotten preparing it.

Leviticus 11:41 "And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth [shall be] an abomination; it shall not be eaten."

Nothing is called a creeping thing, as Jarchi says, but what is low, has short feet, and is not seen unless it creeps and moves. And "every creeping thing" comprehends, as Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom observe, the eight creeping things before mentioned (Lev. 11:29). And mention is made of them here, that they might not be eaten, which is not expressed before. And being described as creeping things "on the earth", is, according to Jarchi, an exception of worms in peas, beans, and lentiles. And, as others observe, in figs and dates, and other fruit. For they do not creep upon the earth, but are within the food. But if they go out into the air, and creep, they are forbidden.

This would include snakes, lizards, in fact all reptiles. These are such an abomination to God, that the devil was in the form of a snake in the garden of Eden. We will see in the next few verses from Genesis that God cursed the serpent above all other animals.

Genesis 3:14 "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"

Satan (symbolized by the serpent), is the enemy of mankind and will be always.

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

We realize that the spiritual meaning of that Scripture is speaking of the followers of Jesus being the enemy of the devil and his crowd.

Leviticus 11:42 "Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon [all] four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they [are] an abomination."

Jarchi's paraphrase is, "whatsoever goeth", as worms and beetles, and the like to them, "upon the belly". This is the serpent; and to go upon the belly is the curse denounced upon it (Gen. 3:14). This and every such creature are forbidden to be eaten. As there are others who either have no feet, or what they have are so short, that they seem to go upon their belly. And yet, as horrible and detestable as the serpent is, it has been the food of some, and accounted very delicious.

"And whatsoever goeth upon all four": That is, whatsoever creeping thing. For otherwise there are beasts that go upon all four that are clean and fit to eat. But this is observed to distinguish this sort of creeping things from those that go upon their belly, and from those that have more feet, as in the next clause. Jarchi particularly instances in the scorpion.

"Or whatsoever hath mere feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth": Such as caterpillars, and particularly the Scolopendra, which the eastern people call Nedal. So Jarchi says, this is Nedal, a reptile which hath feet from its head to its tail, called Centipedes; and the Targum of Jonathan is, "from the serpent, to the Nedal or Scolopendra, which has many feet." Some of them, have seventy-two, thirty-six on a side, and others eighty-four; some fewer, but all have many.

"Them ye shall not eat, for they are an abomination": Abominable for food, and to be had in the utmost aversion.

As I said, this includes all vermin that crawl on their belly. It seems, to crawl on the belly, was part of the curse God put on the serpent.

Leviticus 11:43 "Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby."

With any creeping thing that flies in the air, excepting the four sorts of locusts (Lev. 11:22). And with any creeping thing in the waters (Lev. 11:10). Or with anything that creeps on the land, by eating any of them. Which being abominable for food, would make the eater of them so to God, he thereby breaking a command of his.

"Neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them": By touching and bearing them, as with dead beasts, so with dead flies and the like.

"That ye should be defiled thereby": In a ceremonial sense.

This is just a broader statement about not eating, or coming into contact with abominable things. Sometimes by association, they could become abominable themselves. It is broad enough to cover all the things in detail that were possibly not mentioned above.

Verses 44-45: Sanctify yourselves ... be Holy, for I am Holy": In all of this, God is teaching His people to live antithetically. That is, He is using these clean and unclean distinctions to separate Israel from other idolatrous nations who have no such restrictions, and He is illustrating by these prescriptions that His people must learn to live His way. Through dietary laws and rituals, God is teaching them the reality of living His way in everything. They are being taught to obey God in every seemingly mundane area of life, so as to learn how crucial obedience is. Sacrifices, rituals, diet, and even clothing and cooking are all carefully ordered by God to teach them that they are to live differently from everyone else. This is to be an external illustration for the separation from sin in their hearts. Because the Lord is their God, they are to be utterly distinct.

In verse 44, for the first time the statement "I am the Lord your God" is made, as a reason for the required separation and holiness. After this verse, that phrase is mentioned about 50 more times in this book, along with the equally instructive claim, "I am holy". Because God is holy and is their God, the people are to be holy in outward ceremonial behavior as an external expression of the greater necessity of heart holiness. The connection between ceremonial holiness carries over into personal holiness. The only motivation given for all these laws is to learn to be holy because God is holy. The holiness theme is central to Leviticus (see 10:3; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:6-8).

Leviticus 11:44 "For I [am] the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I [am] holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Their Lord, and therefore had a right to enjoin them what laws he pleased concerning their food. And their God, their covenant God, and therefore would consult their good, and direct them to what was most proper, convenient, and wholesome for them.

"Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy, for I am holy": That is, separate themselves from all other people, and be distinct from them, by using a different diet from theirs. As their Lord and God was different from all others, so called. And thus, by observing his commands, and living according to his will, and to his glory, they would be holy in a moral sense, as they ought to be. Who were under the peculiar care and notice of a holy God, and so highly favored by him. And particularly by attending to the above laws concerning food, they would be kept from mixing with, and having conversation with the Gentiles. And so be preserved from falling into idolatry, and continue a holy people. Serving and worshipping the Lord their God, and him only. And which seems to be a principal view as to religion, in delivering out the above commands.

"Neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth": Which is repeated to keep them at the utmost distance from these things, and to fill them with an aversion to them, that they might be careful to avoid them. There is no penalty annexed to these laws, but the breach of them making them unclean. Thereby they were debarred the use of the sanctuary, and of holy things, and of the conversation of men, for that day. But, according to the Jewish writers, such transgressions were punishable with stripes. Jarchi observes out of the Talmud, that he that eateth "putitha" (a small water reptile), was to be beaten four times. And if an ant or pismire five times, and if a wasp or hornet six times.

God repeats, in no uncertain terms, who He is and that the people will conform to His wishes. We have said numerous times, that sanctify means to set aside for God's purpose. They should be glad to do these things, that they might be called His. God expected no more from them, than He did of Himself. He said, I AM HOLY. He shows them the way they can be holy, and then tells them they must be holy. These people were being taught to be clean. It is important for the body to be clean, but the real cleanliness God was trying to teach them and us, is cleanliness of the spirit. Cleanliness of the inner man, was the real message. Man was made in the image of God, that He might fellowship with man. These Hebrews, here, were descended from Abraham in the flesh. Christians are descendants of Abraham through faith.

Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

This is their Father, and our Father, giving instructions on how to live pleasing unto Him. Defile, in the verse above, means to pollute or make unclean. God wants His family to be a separated people, not caught up in the things of the world. There is a message in this for Christians, as well. We are to separate ourselves from the world. Let's take a look at what the Christians must be like for our Savior to come back for us.

Ephesians 5:27 "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Leviticus 11:45 "For I [am] the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy."

He had brought them out of it, and was now bringing them on in the wilderness towards Canaan's land, in order to settle them there. And this is observed, to show what obligations they lay under to him to observe his commands. For since he had done such great things for them, it became them to be obedient to him in all things. And the more, since his end herein was, as he observes to them;

"To be your God": To make it appear that he was their God, and they were his special people, whom he had chosen for himself above all people upon the earth. That he was their King and their God, to protect and defend them, to provide for them, and take care of them, and bestow all good things on them proper for them.

"Ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy": Separate from all others as he was, living holy lives and conversations, agreeably to his will made known to them. In imitation of him who had chosen and called them to be his people. For, since holiness is his nature, it becomes them who are his house and family, his subjects and people.

This statement here could be because in Egypt, nearly every animal was worshipped. My own thoughts on this however, is that God has brought them out of the world, that they might serve Him. Egypt is a type of the world. He took them out of the world, that He might take them to the Promised Land. The very same thing is true with believers today. When we decide to follow Jesus, we are no longer of this world. We have no permanent dwelling place on this earth. To head for the Promised Land with God, we too must leave Egypt. Abraham was looking for a city made by God. We, too, must look for that city that cometh down from God out of heaven (New Jerusalem). Have you left Egypt (the world), yet? When you do, God will lead you to the Promised Land.

Leviticus 11:46 "This [is] the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:"

Clean and unclean, what were to be eaten, and what not.

"And of the fowl" (Lev. 11:2), the unclean ones, which are particularly mentioned that they might be avoided. All others excepting them being allowed (Lev. 11:13).

"And of every living creature that moveth in the waters": All sorts of fish in the sea, rivers, ponds, and pools, such as have fins and scales. These were to be eaten, but, if they had neither, were forbidden (Lev. 11:9).

"And of every creature that creepeth upon the earth": Eight of which are mentioned particularly, which, when dead, defiled by touching. And all others are forbidden to be eaten (Lev. 11:29). Together with such creeping things that fly, excepting those that had legs above their feet to leap with (Lev. 11:20). This is a recapitulation of the several laws respecting them, though not in the exact order in which they are delivered in this chapter.

Leviticus 11:47 "To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten."

Whether of beasts, fish, fowl, and flying creeping things.

"And between the beast that may be eaten, and the beast that may not be eaten": The former clause takes in all in general, this instances in a particular sort of creatures. And the first mentioned of which, that might be eaten, are, that part the hoof, are cloven footed, and chew the cud. And that might not, that chew the cud, but divide not the hoof, or divide the hoof, but chew not the cud.

And now, by such like descriptions and distinctions of the creatures treated of, the Israelites would be able to make a difference between the one and the other, and know what was to be eaten, and what not.

The one thing we must see in these laws of the diet, God had the welfare of His people in mind when He gave these restrictions. Sometimes it seems as if the restrictions God has made are unfair; don't you believe it. God loves you. He loved you so much, He sent His son to save you. Every restriction is for our benefit.

GOD LOVES YOU, HE WANTS TO SAVE YOU, LET HIM!

Leviticus Chapter 11 Second Continued Questions

1. Why was the sowing seed clean, even though something unclean touched it?

2. What happens to a seed when it falls into the ground?

3. What did the author find amazing about plants, and where they grow?

4. There is a process of what here, that mortal man does not understand?

5. Why did the seed become unclean, if it got water on it?

6. What must immediately be drained from an animal, for it to be allowable for food?

7. Why is this so?

8. Verse 41 tells us that what is an abomination?

9. What are included in these creeping things?

10. What was cursed above all the animals?

11. What was the devil in the form of in the garden of Eden?

12. When God cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly, what else felt the same curse?

13. What are these Israelites cautioned of in Leviticus 11:43?

14. What does the word, sanctify, mean?

15. "Be ye _______, for I am _______."

16. What is the real cleanliness God is trying to teach here?

17. If ye are Christ's, then are ye ____________ seed.

18. What does defile mean?

19. We are to present ourselves a glorious church without what?

20. What was worshipped in Egypt?

21. God has brought them out of the world that they might ________ Him.

22. What must we believers do, before we can head for the Promised Land?

23. What is the one message we must see loud and clear in these dietary laws?

24. Every restriction is for whose benefit?

Leviticus Chapter 12

Verses 1-8: This chapter involves purification after childbirth, for the mother was considered to "be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity". The "separation for her infirmity" is a reference to her menstrual period (verse 5). This is more fully explained in 15:9-24. This legislation deals with the secretions that occur when giving birth, which made the mother unclean. So chapter 15, dealing with bodily secretions, provides the context for chapter 12. Verse 7 says she will "be cleansed from the issue of her blood". This is the third mention. Why should a woman become unclean by bearing children? Reproduction is essential to the survival of the human race, yet intercourse made both Israelite man and wife ceremonially unclean (15:18).

Why should any discharge make a person unclean? The Bible gives no explicit answer. Some say it was a reminder that sin is transmitted to each person at birth. Others say that every bodily discharge is a reminder of sin and death. It is also suggested that a bleeding or discharging body lacks wholeness and is therefore unclean. Loss of blood can lead to death, the antithesis of normal, healthy life. Anyone losing blood is at least in danger of becoming less that perfect and therefor unclean. In any case, the woman was to bring "a burnt offering" and "a sin offering" indicating her total dedication and surrender to God and the admission of her sin and need for a covering.

The theme of this chapter is not personal holiness but ritual purification for the mother. Nothing here teaches or implies that human sexuality is "dirty", that pregnancy is defiling, or that babies are impure. On the contrary, Scripture presents children as blessings from God (Psalms 113:9; 127:3-5; 128:3; Prov. 17:6; Matt. 19:14).

Leviticus 12:1 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"

The laws in the preceding chapter were delivered both to Moses and Aaron, but what follows in this only to Moses. But inasmuch as the priest had a concern in it, it being his business to offer the sacrifices required by the following law, it was no doubt given to Moses, to be delivered to Aaron, as well as to the people. R. Semlai remarks, that as the creation of man was after that of the beasts, fowls, fishes, etc., so the laws concerning the uncleanness of men are after those relating to beasts, etc. And they begin with the uncleanness of a new mother. Because, as Aben Ezra observes, the birth is the beginning of man.

"Saying": As follows.

Leviticus 12:2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean."

For this law only concerned them, and not other nations of the world.

"If a woman have conceived seed": By lying with a man, and so becomes pregnant, and goes on with her pregnancy until she brings forth a child. The Jews from here gather, that this law respects abortions. That if a woman has conceived and miscarries, eighty one days after the birth of a female, and forty one after a male, she must bring her offering. But the law seems only to regard such as are with child, and proceed to the due time of childbirth, whether then the child is born alive or dead.

"And born a man child": Which is, generally speaking, not only matter of joy to the mother, but to the whole family (see John 16:21). Then she shall be unclean seven days; and be separate from all company. Except those whose presence is necessary to take care of her in her circumstances, and do what is proper for her. And even these became ceremonially unclean thereby. Even her husband was not permitted to sit near her, nor to eat and drink with her.

"According to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean": The same number of days, even seven, she was unclean on account of childbirth, as she was for her monthly courses. Called here an infirmity or sickness, incident to all females when grown up, at which time they were separate from all persons. And the case was the same with a new mother (see Lev. 15:14).

This is a ceremonial uncleanness. In a difficult to understand way, this has to do with the birth of all who are believers. We have seen throughout these lessons in Leviticus, strong spiritual messages to the church. I see in this that we are all born in sin. We are not born lost as some teach, just uncommitted. We are born a fleshly man. This man of flesh is the first birth of man. Man is first flesh, then born of the spirit. To truly understand what I am saying here, a person must truly study (1 Corinthians beginning with chapter 15:42 and go to the end of the chapter). Just one reading will not implant this message, you must read it at least 6 times. Pray while you are reading, that the Holy Spirit reveals to you the meaning. The fact that this man and this woman had a child is not sin. God had instructed Adam and Eve to have children. God would not tell you to do something that was sin.

Genesis 1:28 "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

This happened before the incident in the garden of Eden. The sin in the garden of Eden was disobeying God, not the fact that they had children. I will show you, again, that having children (if you are married), is not sin. God told Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. I say, again, God would not tell them to do something that was sin.

Genesis 9:1 "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."

I could go on and on, but there is no need for that here, the point is made. Two married people producing children is not sin.

The fact that the woman who has a man child is unclean 7 days, has to do with the 7 days that Aaron and his sons were to wait at the door of the tabernacle to be acceptable to God. This was a time of consecration. The beautiful thing that happened when Mary conceived in her flesh of the Holy Spirit of God could never have been classified as sin, yet Jesus was not circumcised until the eighth day. Eight means new beginnings. This new beginning on the eighth day is like the day our spirit is born. Jesus' number is 8. He is our new beginning. This circumcision on the eighth day is like the new birth in Christ. Our new life begins the day we accept Christ as our Savior. The sign that an Israelite man has accepted God was on the eighth day when he is set aside for God by circumcision. The woman in the Bible is symbolic of the church. This seven days of separation is the same as the seven days of separation for the high priest. The church is born in us (we become the church), when we accept new life in Jesus. The seven (1000 year days), of the earth is also symbolized in this 7 days of consecration. We are waiting outside the door to heaven 7000 years, and then the new beginning is here.

Leviticus 12:3 "And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised."

"Eighth day": Joseph and Mary followed these instructions at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:21).

"Circumcised": The sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 17:9-14), was incorporated into the laws of Mosaic cleanness (compare Rom. 4:11-13). For a discussion on circumcision (see notes on Jer. 4:4).

Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day.

Luke 2:21 "And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb."

The baby Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and named Jesus. He was not dedicated in the temple until the 40^th day. We will see this as we go on.

Leviticus 12:4 "And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled."

That is, so many more, in all forty. For though at the end of seven days she was in some respects free from her uncleanness, yet not altogether. But remained in the blood of her purifying, or in the purifying of her blood, which was more and more purified, and completely at the end of forty days. So with the Persians it is said, a new mother must avoid everything for forty days. When that time is passed, she may wash and be purified; and which perhaps Zoroastres, the founder of the Persian religion, at least the reformer of it, being a Jew.

"She shall touch no hallowed thing": As the tithe, the heave offering, the flesh of the peace offerings, as Aben Ezra explains it, if she was a priest's wife.

"Nor come into the sanctuary": The court of the tabernacle of the congregation, or the court of the temple, as the same writer observes. And so with the Greeks, a pregnant woman might not come into a temple before the fortieth day, that is, of her delivery.

"Until the days of her purifying be fulfilled": Until the setting of the sun of the fortieth day. On the morrow of that she was to bring the atonement of her purification, as Jarchi observes (see notes on Lev. 12:6).

The issue of blood that women have every month, and at childbirth is a cleansing for their bodies. No woman should think of herself as being a nothing, because this happens to her. There is no life without the shedding of blood. Women are chosen of God to pro-create life. Husbands and wives are one in God's sight. The creation of life in God's plan, is beautiful. The new life, is a blessing to the husband and wife, but is also a blessing for God. The natural functions of the body are one of the great mysteries of life. Every time a new baby is born, it lets us know God has not given up on mankind. This 40 day period of separation from the holy things is for cleanliness' sake and just simply because God said to do it. Forty throughout the Bible is a time of testing. Perhaps this is the time the woman should take before beginning to function in her usual role. Jesus was carried to the temple on the 40th day for his dedication.

Luke 2:22 "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord;"

The natural function of the woman's body has usually stopped by the 40th day after a male child is born. and it would be alright for her to come back to the temple. We will find in another lesson that anything that could be construed as uncleanness, would keep the person from attending services in the sanctuary.

Leviticus 12:5 "But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days."

"Two weeks ... threescore and six days": Apparently mothers were unclean twice as long (80) days after the birth of a daughter as a son (40 days), which reflected the stigma on women for Eve's part in the Fall. This stigma is removed in Christ (see notes on 1 Tim. 2:13-15).

The time for the cleansing for the birth of a female child is definitely twice as long. Boy babies were circumcised on the 8th day, which as we said in a previous verse, was a sign of accepting God. Since a girl baby is not circumcised, then the purification would be different also. To say that this longer time for purification was because girls were more sinful is slightly ridiculous. With God there is no male or female. The only time there is a gender is for the procreation of life on this earth. As we have said over and over in these lessons, the woman symbolizes the church. The 40 days for the purification of having a man child symbolized the 40 years wandering in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. The church of Jesus Christ was not established on the way to the Promised Land. Could the 80 days required for the female child symbolize the 40 years in the wilderness to establish a people of God, and then the 40 days Jesus ministered on the earth after He resurrected from the tomb, to establish the church? The church of the Lord Jesus Christ was not established during the wilderness wanderings, but that had to be the beginning. The church was truly launched when Jesus returned to the Father in heaven and promised to send the comforter. Jesus was seed of the woman, and not of the man.

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

There was the age of the law (physical Israel), then there was the age of grace (spiritual Israel). The time of testing for the physical house was 40. The time of testing for the spiritual house was 40. Forty and 40 make 80. There could not have been grace, except it had been preceded by law. Then the woman (church), takes 80 days for purification, 40 days for the law and 40 days for grace.

Leviticus 12:6 "And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:"

"Burnt offering ... sin offering": Thought the occasion was joyous, the sacrifices required were to impress upon the mind of the parent the reality of original sin and that the child had inherited a sin nature. The circumcision involved a cutting away of the male foreskin, which could carry infections and diseases in its folds. This cleansing of the physical organ so as not to pass on disease (Jewish women have historically had the lowest incidence of cervical cancer), was a picture of the deep need for cleansing from depravity, which is most clearly revealed by procreation, as men produce sinners and only sinners. Circumcision points to the fact that cleansing is needed at the very core of a human being, a cleansing God offers to the faithful and penitent through the sacrifice of Christ to come.

These offerings were not for direct sin, but if you will, inherited sin of the flesh. This sin is really not this mother's sin, but Eve's sin, which was not a deed but an inheritance. This burnt offering was as devotion to God. The sin involved was not her own sin, but sinful nature of all of humanity, until the new birth in Christ. Jesus was dedicated to God on the 40th day of His mother's purification.

Luke 2:22 "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord;"

Leviticus 12:7 "Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This [is] the law for her that hath born a male or a female."

Upon the altar of burnt offering.

"And make an atonement for her": For whatsoever sin in connection with or that attended childbearing. As typical of the atonement by Christ both for sin original and actual.

"And she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood": In a ceremonial sense, and according to that law be pure and clean.

"This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female": Enjoined her, and to be observed by her. And though now with the rest of the ceremonial law it is abolished. Yet it has this instruction in it; that it becomes women in such circumstances to bring the freewill offerings of their lips. Their sacrifices of praise, and in a public manner signify their gratitude and thankfulness for the mercy and goodness of God vouchsafed to them. In carrying them through the whole time of childbearing, and saving them in the perilous hour.

As I said before, the uncleanness was of a ceremonial nature, rather than of a spiritual nature. We will get into the issue of blood in another lesson.

Leviticus 12:8 "And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean."

"Turtledoves ... pigeons": Compare (Lev. 1:14-17; 5:7-10). These were the offerings of Joseph and Mary after Christ's birth (compare Luke 2:24), when they presented Jesus as their firstborn to the Lord (Exodus 13:2; Luke 2:22). Birds, rather than livestock, indicated a low economic situation, though one who was in total poverty could offer flour (5:11-14).

The mother of Jesus brought two turtledoves and 2 young pigeons.

Luke 2:24 "And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

To sum this up, we see the birth of all of Christendom in this lesson through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leviticus Chapter 12 Questions

1. Who did God give the law to, about the purification of the woman after childbirth?

2. How many days shall she be unclean after the birth of a son?

3. What kind of uncleanness is this?

4. We have seen strong spiritual messages to the __________ in Leviticus.

5. We are born in _____, not born _______.

6. Man is first flesh, then _________.

7. Where should you read over and over to get the full lesson on the flesh and spirit of man?

8. How do we know that the man and woman did not sin in having a child?

9. God would not tell you to do something that was _____.

10. What was the sin in the garden of Eden?

11. Two married people having children is not _____.

12. What parallel does the seven days of uncleanness represent?

13. Jesus was circumcised on what day?

14. What does the number eight mean?

15. This circumcision on the eighth day is like what in Christ?

16. Who is our new beginning?

17. The woman, in the Bible, is symbolic of what?

18. When is the church born in us?

19. We have been waiting outside the door to heaven how long?

20. What day was Jesus named?

21. What day was Jesus dedicated in the temple?

22. How many days could the mother not enter the temple after the male child was born?

23. What is the purpose of the issue of blood that women have?

24. What is the number 40 symbolic of?

25. What was the difference in the time of separation for a maid child and a male child?

26. The woman symbolizes what?

27. The 40 days of purification for a male child symbolized what?

28. When was the church of the Lord Jesus Christ truly launched?

29. Why did it take 80 symbolic days for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to be launched?

30. What type of sin was this offering in the temple for?

Leviticus Chapter 13 Third Continued

We have been studying in the last few lessons about leprosy.

Leviticus 13:50 "And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up [it that hath] the plague seven days:"

The green or red spot in the garment, etc.

"And shut up it that hath the plague seven days": The woollen or linen garment, the warp or the woof, or skins, and those things that were made of them.

We have discussed, over and over, that 7 stands for spiritual completeness. This period of time then is to see the truth about this person. Is this person truly a sinner as it appears, or is he a true believer?

Leviticus 13:51 "And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, [or] in any work that is made of skin; the plague [is] a fretting leprosy; it [is] unclean."

To see whether there is any alteration in it in that space of time.

"If the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin": The green and red spot be spread more and more in either of them. Whether the color remains the same or not, or be changed, the green into red, or the red into green. Yet if there was a spreading, it was a sign of leprosy. According to the Jewish canon, if the plague was green and spread red, or red and spread green, it was unclean. That is, as Bartenora explains it, if it was red in the size of a bean, and at the end of the week the red had spread itself to green. Or if at the beginning, it was green like a bean, and at the end of the week had spread itself to the size of a shekel, and the root or spread of it was become red.

"The plague is a fretting leprosy": According to Jarchi, a sharp and pricking one, like a thorn. Which signification the word has in (Ezek. 28:24). Ben Gersom explains it, which brings a curse, corruption, and oldness into the thing in which it is; an old "irritated, exasperated" leprosy. As Bochart, from the use of the word in the Arabic tongue, translates it.

"It is unclean": And the garment or thing in which it is.

The word fretting in this particular Scripture, means bitter, cause to embitter, or painful. From the spiritual standpoint, our garments that we wear could perhaps mean the immediate surroundings. Such as those of your own household, or those who live nearby. We sometimes become embittered by these very people that mean the most to us. Sometimes we cause them to be bitter as well. Nothing hurts as deeply as a loved one gone wrong. There are so many things that embitter us, or cause us to embitter others. We spoke of it in the previous lesson, but what we put into our brain affects our life. A person could get caught in a job that was not morally sound, and it could embitter them. I really believe the worst thing to embitter a person, to my recollection, has been people turned against the church because of hypocrites in the church. It seems the bitterness of this sort is the hardest to stop. Too many times we forget that the things we do might run someone away from God and make them bitter.

Leviticus 13:52 "He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it [is] a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire."

That there may be no more use of it, nor profit from it. And this was done without the city, as Ben Gersom asserts.

"Whether in warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or anything of skin, wherein the plague is". All and either of them were to be burnt.

"For it is a fretting leprosy" (see notes on Lev. 13:51).

"It shall be burnt in the fire": Which may teach both to hate the garment spotted with the flesh. And to put no trust in and have no dependence on a man's own righteousness. Which is as filthy rags, and both are such as shall be burnt, and the loss of them suffered, even when a man himself is saved, yet so as by fire (1 Cor. 3:15).

The sin of bitterness is possibly the hardest sin of all to get rid of. This I believe, is what intended by burning this up, so there will not be anything left to spring up again. Bitterness has even been known to cause crippling disease.

Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;"

Bitterness destroys the person who is bitter. Give it to Jesus, and let Him burn it out of your soul.

Leviticus 13:53 "And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin;"

On the seventh day as before, after shutting up.

"And, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin": But is at an entire stay, that it may be hoped it is not a fretting leprosy. So, when men do not proceed to more ungodliness, as wicked men commonly do, but there is a stop put to their vicious life and conversation, it is a hopeful sign of future good.

Leviticus 13:54 "Then the priest shall command that they wash [the thing] wherein the plague [is], and he shall shut it up seven days more:"

The priest did not wash it himself, but ordered others to do it. And this was either the part in which the plague was, or the whole garment or skin in which it was. Which may be typical of the washing of the garments of men in the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin (Rev. 7:14).

"And he shall shut it up seven days more": The garment or skin in which the leprosy was, or suspected to be. To see what alteration would be made by that time through the washing. Whether the color would be altered, or whether it would spread any more or not.

This separation for the seven days is the same as in the other times it was mentioned. The separation is to see if the washing will be sufficient to remove this sin. We are told, if we have anything against anyone, to leave our gift and go and make it right and then come back and offer.

Matthew 5:24 "Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

It is a very dangerous thing to take communion with bitterness in our heart toward anyone.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30 "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup." "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." "For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."

We can see from all this; how serious it is to hold a grudge.

Leviticus 13:55 "And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, [if] the plague have not changed his color, and the plague be not spread; it [is] unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it [is] fret inward, [whether] it [be] bare within or without."

That is, on the second seventh day, or thirteenth day from his first inspection of it.

"And, behold, if the plague has not changed its color": And the plague be not spread, it is unclean, thou shalt burn it in the fire. If it remains just as it was at first, very green or very red, and has not diminished of its color at all. Nor changed from one color to another, although it should not have spread itself, yet it is defiled, and to be burnt without the camp, as before. That which spreads itself here and there, it is to be burnt.

"It is after inward, whether it be bare within or without": That is, whether it be threadbare on the wrong or right side of the garment. The nap being eaten off by the leprosy; which shows it to be a fretting, eating, and corroding one. In the Hebrew text it is, "in the boldness of the hinder", or "in the baldness of the fore part". They are the same words which are used of the boldness of the back part and fore part of the head (Lev. 13:42). The nap being off either of the outer and right side of the cloth, or of the inner and wrong side, made it look like a bald head, whether before or behind.

The best way to say this, in the spiritual realm, is to say we must crucify our flesh that our spirit might live.

Galatians 5:24 "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

This bitterness from within must be destroyed.

Leviticus 13:56 "And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague [be] somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:"

Is become of a weaker color, either not quite so green, or not quite so red as it was. Or is "contracted", and does not spread itself (see notes on Lev. 13:6); but is rather become less.

"Then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof": That is, that piece which has the plague in it, and burn it. As Jarchi says; that so the whole may not be lost, which is otherwise pure, and clean, and free from any infection. The manner of expression confirms what I have observed on (Lev. 13:48). That the warp and woof are considered as separate things, and as before they are woven together, or wrought into one garment. This rending out may denote the denying of ungodliness and worldly lusts. The parting with right eye and right hand sins, and having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.

The explanation of this can be found in Jesus' own words when He said, if a member of your body keep you from God, do away with it.

Matthew 5:29-30 "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell." "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell."

This seems so drastic, but we must not miss heaven at any cost.

Leviticus 13:57 "And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it [is] a spreading [plague]: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague [is] with fire."

After the piece has been rent out, in another part of the garment, etc. Where before it was not seen.

"It is a spreading plague": Or leprosy; a flourishing one, as the word signifies, a growing and increasing one.

"Thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire": According to Aben Ezra, only that part in which the plague was. But Jarchi says the whole garment; with whom Ben Gersom seems to agree. Who reads the words, thou shall burn it, with that in which the plague is. The whole garment, skin, warp, or woof, along with the part in which the leprosy is.

I almost hate to comment on this. If all efforts fail, then they are lost. The fire of hell is the sure outcome of this individual.

Leviticus 13:58 "And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin [it be], which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean."

After it had been shut up seven days, and viewed by the priest again. If the plague be departed from them: upon a review of them.

"Then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean": And so reckoned even thoroughly clean, and used. This denotes the thorough washing and cleansing of sinners by the blood of Jesus (see Psalm 51:2). This washing was by dipping; and so the Targum renders it; and Jarchi observes, that all washings of garments, which are for dipping, they interpret by the same word.

This washing certainly has to do with the washing in the blood of the Lamb. We see in the Scriptures that it is by blood and water. Both are to be washed in, to be Jesus'.

1 John 5:6 "This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."

We see in this, that baptism in water is not enough, we must be washed in the blood of the Lamb and made white as snow. This is when we repent (turn from our wicked ways), and begin a new life in Jesus. We receive His robe of righteousness when He takes our sin. We certainly get the best end of this trade.

Leviticus 13:59 "This [is] the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean."

"To pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean": The primary purpose of this legislation was to assist the priest in determining the presence of contagious skin disease. The language of the passage indicates disease that affects the clothes as it did the person. This provided more illustrations of the devastating infection of sin and how essential cleansing was spiritually.

The main thing that we must remember in this, is that these garments symbolize the flesh of mankind. Our flesh is our worst enemy. The lust of our flesh is the cause of our sin. Sin is anything that displeases God, or the breaking of the law.

1 John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

This is not just any law, but the law of God. God has given us a substitute for our sin, Jesus Christ the Righteous. It is our own fault if we wind up in hell. God made provision for us, but we must avail ourselves of it.

Leviticus Chapter 13 Third Continued Questions

1. How long is the one suspected of leprosy shut up?

2. What truth is trying to be determined by this time of separation?

3. What does the word fretting mean?

4. What is meant spiritually by the garments?

5. What is about the worst hurt that we feel?

6. What are some of the things that could happen to you and make you bitter?

7. Why are many people bitter toward the church?

8. What is to be done with a garment of fretting leprosy?

9. What does Hebrews 12:15 say about bitterness?

10. Who does bitterness destroy?

11. What is the washing in Leviticus 13:53 symbolic of?

12. What does Matthew 5:24 teach about bitterness?

13. What might happen to you, if you took communion with bitterness in your heart?

14. What does Leviticus 13:55 tell us we must do?

15. I am crucified with _________.

16. I live by the faith of the ______ ____ ______.

17. If thy right eye offend thee, _______ ___ _____.

18. If thy right hand offend thee, _____ ___ _____.

19. If all efforts fail to cleanse a person, then they are _______.

20. What did the 2 washings indicate?

21. How can we be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

22. What is the main thing to remember in this lesson?

23. What is our worst enemy?

24. What is the cause of our sin?

25. Sin is the transgression of the _____.

26. What law is this?

27. Who is our Substitute for our sin?