The Book of Leviticus opens with a divine communication given by God from the recently constructed Tabernacle. As we can see, the topic of the communication is worship, and the message is a divine detailing of what was necessary for approaching God.
Concerning receiving worship from his people, it is clear from this and other chapters in Leviticus that God expects it, which is a reminder that true worship is always their appropriate response to him. Yet he has not left the method and means of such worship as an open issue that his people could devise for themselves. Instead true worship conforms to the requirements of God.
The first aspect of worship that the Lord mentions is the burnt offering. This was an offering in which all the sacrifice was consumed. Burnt offerings did not commence at this time as far as God’s people were concerned. The burnt offering was a sacrifice made by Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen. 22:22) and Job (Job 1:5), and its basic point was that it depicted entire consecration on behalf of the offerer.
In addition to the voluntary burnt offerings described here, burnt offerings were made twice daily (Num. 28) as well as on other occasions. The Hebrew word for burnt offering is translated holokautoma in the Septuagint, and from that term we get the word holocaust, meaning totally consumed (apart from the skin).
The details of the burnt offering divide into three sections – an offering from the herd (vv. 3-9), an offering from the flock (vv. 10-13), and an offering of birds (vv. 14-17). Behind the distinctions lies an awareness of the economic and social differences of the people. Each was required to give according to his capability. A poor person was not expected to give a costly animal and a rich person was not expected to offer the same as a poor person. Given that these were divine provisions, we should see failure to practice these principles as sinful.
The burnt offering highlights other aspects in addition to consecration. And we can think of some more of them tomorrow.
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