Christianity: The Old Testament Offerings

Leviticus Chapters 1 – 7

The first seven chapters of Leviticus talk about the six offerings that could be brought to the tabernacle:

• The Burnt Offering
• The Grain Offering
• The Peace Offering
• The Sin Offering
• The Guilt Offering
• The Ordination Offering

These offerings remind us of the basic spiritual needs we have as God’s people committed to communion and cleansing from God.

The Burnt Offering (Chapter One) was the basic sacrifice that expressed duration and dedication to the Lord.

The Grain Offering (Chapter Two) was a way for the Jews to dedicate to God that which He has enabled them to produce.  Grain represents the fruit of our labour.

Grain represents Jesus as the Bread of Life - John 6 v 32), the perfect one who nourishes our inner person as we worship Him and ponder His word.

The Burnt Offering and the Grain offering represent the dedication to God and commitment to Him and His work.

The Peace Offering (Chapter Three) represents Communion with God.  An expression of joyful thanksgiving that the worshipper was at peace with God and in communion with Him.

The Sin Offering (Chapter Four & Five) and the Guilt Offering (Chapter Six and Seven) represent cleansing from God.

The Sin Offering represents the offender’s guilt before God while the Guilt Offering represents the damage done to others by the offender. The Guilt Offering also illustrates the solemn fact that it is a very costly thing for people to commit sin and for God to cleanse sin – our sins hurt God and others.

Now Jesus provides all we need, He is our burnt offering and we need to yield ourselves wholly to Him.

He is our grain offering – the seed crushed and put through the fire, that we may have the bread of life and we must feed upon Him.

Jesus is our drink offering who poured himself out in sacrifice and service.

Jesus is our peace offering, making life a joyful feast instead of a painful famine.

Jesus is our sin offering and our guilt offering for He bore our sins on His body (1 Peter 2 v 24) and paid the full price for our sins (1 Peter 1 v 18-19)

Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross to save us from our sins -completely and FOREVER.