Now that we have finished going through the prophetic books of the Old Testament, we return to two books we skipped, the ancient books of Leviticus and Numbers.
While the Israelites remain in the desert, YHWH sets up the details of the Covenant between the Israelites and Himself. When the book of Exodus ends, YHWH is visibly present in the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 40:34-35) but Moses cannot enter the tent. Moses -- and any other human -- is prohibited from entering the Tent of Meeting. The book of Leviticus now sets up the process by which the people of Israel could truly meet YHWH.
Note the difference between the first verse of this book and the first verse of the next one. The goal of this book is to allow people (like Moses) to go into the Tent of Meeting and not always be on the outside.
The Tent of Meeting is another name for the Tabernacle; the name emphasizes that this is a place where humans can meet the Holy (and very scary) Divine.
Leviticus 1:1-9, Without defect
The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: `When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.
"`If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
YHWH gives Moses precise details on burnt offerings, including the fact that offering animls are to be perfect, without defect. The ascension sacrifice ("burnt offering, olah) involved burning an animal entirely, and through that burning, bringing the animal into God's presence.
The priest was to lay his hand on the head of the animal, symbolically demonstrating that the animal was taking the penalty of sin for the priest and for those he represented. This "atonement for sins" is made explicit in verse 4.
Blood, essential for life, was to be splashed on the sides of the altar to (also) represent the sacrifice and atonement of sin.
Leviticus 1:10-13. Burnt offering from the flock
"`If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, he is to offer a male without defect. He is to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. He is to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of it and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
The requirements for a burnt offering from the flock are equally detailed. The average man (says Harris) would bring an animal from his flock.
Leviticus 1:14-17, Burnt offering of birds
"`If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to offer a dove or a young pigeon.
The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. He is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, where the ashes are. He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
The poor might not posses cattle and could, instead, offer a bird as a sacrifice. The prescription for that burnt offering are given in these last verses of this chapter.
This passage covers burnt offerings, offerings in which the body of the animal was consumed by fire. Later there will be "fellowship offerings", in which part of the animal was food for the priests.
Some Hebrew vocabulary
Our Hebrew word for the day is esh, a feminine noun, "fire, burning coals."
אֵשׂ
First published July 31, 2025; updated July 31, 2025
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