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The Five Major Offerings
Scripture Passage:
Leviticus 1:1-2 Attached audio files:
Introduction: The five major offerings must first be introduced:
Identity of the Five Offerings:
The Levitical sacrificial system had five separate and distinct offerings that could be made to the Lord. These are the five major offerings that are introduced in the first five chapters of Leviticus. They are:The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1)
The Meat Offering (Leviticus 2)
The Peace Offering (Leviticus 3)
The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4)
The Trespass Offering (Leviticus 5)
Other offerings are mentioned in the Mosaic Law. These other offerings include those made for a vow (called votive), thank offerings, drink offerings, heave offerings, and wave offerings. However, these offerings are usually, if not always, a subset of the five major offerings. For instance, the thank offering is a type of peace offering. These offerings will not be considered in detail in this introduction.
Purpose of the Five Offerings:
The offerings of the law almost require a threefold approach.- First, they provide a way for the Israelites to make and keep a right relationship with God.
- Second, they are a type of Jesus Christ and a description of His sacrifice for us.
- Third, they are a pattern for our own approach to God. The difference between the Old Testament Israelites and the New Testament saints is the Israelites were to
Survey of the Five Major Offerings:
Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1)
- Only offering to be totally consumed on the altar with nothing eaten by men
- First offering mentioned by name in the Bible (Genesis 8:20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
See All...) - Most common of the offerings mentioned in scripture (197 times)
- Voluntary offering and a sweet savor to the Lord
- Indicates entire surrender
Meat Offering (Leviticus 2)
- Only offering made without the shedding of blood and without an animal sacrifice
- Offering of fine flour; no animal flesh
- Voluntary offering and a sweet savor to the Lord
- Indicates a living sacrifice
Peace Offering (Leviticus 3)
- Only offering in which the offerer could eat of the meat of the sacrifice
- Voluntary offering and a sweet savor to the Lord
- Indicates fellowship or communion
Sin Offering (Leviticus 4)
- Required offering; not a sweet savor
- Dealt with the sinner and the problem of sin
- Indicates payment for the sin nature
Trespass Offering (Leviticus 5)
- Required offering; not a sweet savor
- Dealt with particular sins
- Indicates forgiveness of committed sins
The Five Animals Used in the Offerings: (first mentioned together in Genesis 15:9And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
See All...)
- Oxen – service and strength (Proverbs 14:4Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
See All...) - Sheep – meekness and purity (Isaiah 53:7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
See All...) - Goats – sin and judgment (Christ became sin for us)
- Pigeon – poverty (Leviticus 12:8And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, 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.
See All...) - Turtledoves – innocence (Psalm 74:19O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
See All...)
The Order of the Five Offerings in Leviticus 1-5
They mark a progression of closeness to God with the first offering mentioned being the closest to God and the last one being the first step in approaching God. This seemingly backwards approach is not unusual in the Bible. God usually begins from His perspective, not ours. He describes the furniture of the most holy place first and then proceeds to the holy place and the courtyard. He creates heaven and then earth (Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
See All...). He lists the three-part nature of man as spirit first, then soul, then body (1 Thesalonians 5:23
See All...).
First, consider the order of the offerings as they point to the sacrifice of Christ.
| Burnt Offering | Christ surrendered Himself entirely to God being fully consumed in His commitment (Philippians 2:6-8 [6] Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
[7] Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
[8] Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
See All...) | |
| Meat Offering | Christ gave Himself as a living sacrifice continually doing the will of the Father (John 4:34Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
See All...) | |
| Peace Offering | Christ made peace with God on the behalf of man (Ephesians 2:13-14 [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
[14] For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
See All...) | |
| Sin Offering | Christ atoned for our fallen sin nature on the cross and satisfied the wrath of God (Isaiah 53:10-11 [10] Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
[11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
See All...; Hebrews 9:26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. See All...) | |
| Trespass Offering | Christ paid for our individual sins in His death on the cross (Hebrews 10:12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
See All...) |
However, when we come to God, we must do so in reverse order. Notice the following table with the offerings given in reverse order and their symbology explained.
| Trespass Offering | We realize the guilt of our sins and our need for forgiveness of these sins in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
See All...) | |
| Sin Offering | We need a power that can even conquer our sin nature or else we will lose our salvation as soon as we gain it (2 Corinthians 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
See All...) | |
| Peace Offering | We find that through the cross of Christ He opened the way for true fellowship with God (1 John 1:3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
See All...) | |
| Meat Offering | Through His obedient life, Christ shows us the way to be a living sacrifice for God (Romans 12:1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
See All...) | |
| Burnt Offering | We find the greatest blessing in being fully consumed in our commitment to God (Philippians 2:17For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
See All...) |
The Burnt Offering:
The burnt offering is the first offering specified by name in the Bible. Noah offered burnt offerings when he left the ark (Genesis 8:20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
See All...). Abel’s offering was certainly a burnt offering as well although it is not called such (Genesis 4:4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
See All...). The burnt offering is also the most common of the offerings mentioned in scripture and probably the most commonly offered. The table shows the five offerings in rank as to which of them are mentioned most in scripture.
| Burnt Offering | 197 | |
| Meat Offering | 123 | |
| Sin Offering | 119 | |
| Peace Offering | 43 | |
| Trespass Offering | 36 |
- THE BRINGING OF THE BURNT OFFERING (Leviticus 1:1-3 [1] And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
[2] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
[3] If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
See All...) - According to the Word of the Lord (Leviticus 1:1And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
See All...) - As a continuation of the earlier books of the law
- Leviticus 1:1And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
See All... – “And the Lord” - The conjunction, “And,” indicates a continuation
- Leviticus is a continuation of the law of Moses
- The Lord called unto Moses
- The Lord spoke to Moses many times
- The seven-word verse, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” is found 72 times in the Bible; all in Exodus, Leviticus, or Numbers.
- Many other times a slightly different wording is used
- However, the times that the Lord called unto Moses are limited
- The Lord called unto Moses out of the burning bush (Exodus 3:4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
See All...) – this was the call of Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt - The Lord called unto Moses out of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:3And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
See All..., 20) – this is on the occasion of the giving of the Ten Commandments - The Lord called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud (Exodus 24:16And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
See All...) – this is when Moses entered the top of Mount Sinai in order to receive the remainder of the law - The Lord called unto Moses out of the tabernacle of the congregation (Leviticus 1:1And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
See All...) – this is when the Lord gives the sacrificial system of atonement to Moses - God spoke to Moses out of the tabernacle of the congregation
- This could not be done until the tabernacle was completed and set up according to the command of the Lord (Exodus 40:1-2 [1] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
[2] On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
See All..., 16-17, 33-35) - It was through the tabernacle that the Lord dwelled among the children of Israel (Exodus 25:8And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
See All...; Exodus 29:44-45 [44] And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. [45] And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
See All...; Leviticus 26:11And I set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
See All...; Ezekiel 37:27-28 [27] My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [28] And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
See All...; Revelation 21:3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
See All...) - The Lord spoke to Moses from between the two cherubim that stood over the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:20-22 [20] And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
[21] And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
[22] And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
See All...; Numbers 7:89And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.
See All...) - Unto the Lord (Leviticus 1:2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
See All...) - They had to bring the offering to the place where God had chosen to put His name (Deuteronomy 12:5-6 [5] But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
[6] And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:
See All...) - To bring their offering to the priests was to bring it to the Lord
- The burnt offering was especially offered unto the Lord because all of it was burned to Him (Leviticus 22:18Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;
See All...) - Of the Herd and of the Flock (Leviticus 1:2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
See All...) - We are to bring of what we have (2 Corinthians 8:12For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
See All...) - The word cattle is often used in scripture in a generic sense. When used this way, as here, it refers to cows, goats, and sheep (Genesis 1:24-25 [24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
[25] And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
See All...) - Of the herd and of the flock
- Herd of cows
- Flock of sheep or goats
- Application: Christ came as a man; as one of us (Romans 8:3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
See All...; Hebrews 2:14-18 [14] Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; [15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. [16] For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. [17] Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. [18] For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
See All...)