THE LEVITICAL FEASTS AND OFFERINGS

1
THE LEVITIICAL
FEASTS AND OFFERINGS
The Spiritual Life of the Ancient Jew with
Lessons for the New Testament Christian

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CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter One Background to Leviticus
Chapter Two Interpreting the Types in Leviticus
Chapter Three The Burnt Offering
Chapter Four The Meat Offering
Chapter Five The Peace Offering
Chapter Six The Sin Offering
Chapter Seven The Trespass Offering
Chapter Eight The Feast of The Passover
Chapter Nine The Feast of Pentecost
Chapter Ten The Feast of Trumpets
Chapter Eleven The Day of Atonement
Chapter Twelve The Feast of Tabernacles
Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION
Over the course of the following chapters I invite the reader to join with me in a
journey as we uncover the roots of God’s redemptive purpose to man, as that was
revealed to ancient Israel. We will view the blood and gore of the Levitical offerings;
from the carving of the bullock to the dismembering of the dove and the offering of
the fat and vital organs of the ram. We will join the congregation of Israel as they
celebrated the feasts of the Lord from the Passover through to the Feast of
Tabernacles. The lamb will be slain, the trumpets will sound, the High Priest will
enter the Holy of Holies on the most scared day of the year and the people will rejoice
for one week as they dwell in little dwellings made from the branches and foliage of
trees.
These sacrifices and feasts were varied in their character and at times the detail
appears to be tedious and without meaning until we are called to remember the words
of Paul to the Romans; “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have
hope.”1
Therefore we are obliged to consider these rites because the gracious God has
lessons for the church today to learn from them.
It will be necessary initially to examine Leviticus in its historical and Biblical setting.
This will be done in the first chapter, which is essentially a consideration of the first
verse of the book. Having contemplated the background some time will be devoted to
the importance of typology as a branch of Biblical learning. This involves the setting
1
Romans 15:1

4
forth of some general rules for the interpreting of types, which are so crucial to our
understanding of Leviticus. The thesis will then progress to a consideration of each of
the offerings and feasts in turn with attention being paid to the peculiarities of each,
together with their unique application to the modern church.
With these prefatory remarks let us commence the journey with the prayer that God’s
glory would shine into our hearts as we consider his truth.

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CHAPTER 1
BACKGROUND TO LEVITICUS
In approaching this subject one consideration must be paramount in our thoughts; the
Book of Leviticus, in common with other four books of the Pentateuch, the remainder
of the Old Testament scriptures and the entire canon of the New Testament, is the
verbally inspired word of the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, the God of Israel, the
Redeemer of Mankind, the covenant keeping Lord whose name is Jehovah.
This statement is vital because no man can profitably study the Bible without first of
all accepting the premise that this is a supernatural book coming from the God of
eternity to the finite creatures of time. Therefore the World Congress of
Fundamentalists, when drawing up their definition of Fundamentalism in 1980 began
with the statement, “A Fundamentalist is a born again believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ who maintains an immoveable allegiance to the inerrant, infallible, and
verbally inspired Bible”1
.
Therefore when Leviticus begins, “And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto
him out of the tabernacle of the congregation saying, speak unto the children of Israel,
and say…”2
, we deduce two facts. Firstly, the penman who recorded the word spoken
was Moses and secondly, this book originated in the mind of God. These are
important observations because no part of Holy Writ has been attacked as to its
authorship quite like the writings that God attributes to Moses.
1
Dictionary of Theological Terms, Cairns, Alan,
Ambassador-Emerald International, Belfast and Greenville, 1998, Page 157.
2
Leviticus 1:1,2

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In the Nineteenth Century the theorising of the Higher Critics resulted in the Graf-
Wellhausen hypothesis or the J E D P theory. This theory dismembered the
Pentateuch, in addition to other portions of the Old Testament, by denying the Mosaic
authorship and claiming that “the Pentateuch is a patchwork of documents written by
unknown men whose hand can be traced by their use of the divine names and other
literary marks. Thus J used the name Jehovah, E used Elohim, D fused their work to
produce Deuteronomy, and P was a very late priestly writer.”3
This hypothesis works
on the assumption that the Pentateuch is largely based upon two documents, the
Jehovistic document and the Elohistic document. Ezra incorporated the priestly
legislation, Deuteronomy was included during the reign of King Josiah and Leviticus
chapters 17-26 were eventually written in the days of Ezekiel, although not by the
prophet.
Edward J. Young in his “Introduction to the Old Testament” produces ten reasons
why the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis is untenable. I wish to discuss three of these
well-argued positions, which have direct bearing upon the subject matter of this
thesis, Leviticus.4
1: It assumes that Israel developed on the basis of her natural abilities and created her
unique conceptions of God by human knowledge and philosophy. Christianity,
however, believes that God intervened in the life of Israel by choosing the Hebrews to
be a special people for his own glory.
3
Ambassador-Emerald International, Belfast and Greenville, 1998, Page 109.
4
Introduction to the Old Testament, Young, Edward J..,
The Tyndale Press, London, Revised Edition, March 1956, page 141-142.

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2: In the Scriptures the priestly legislation and the Book of Deuteronomy are
attributed to Moses. As the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis dates these parts of the
Pentateuch thousands of years post Moses then the Bible is a fraud, according to their
thinking.
3: The Graf-Wellhausen School dates Leviticus post Deuteronomy. Internal
evidence, however, would show that Deuteronomy actually presupposes parts of
Leviticus. Leviticus Eleven to Fifteen verse thirty-three, for example, provides
precise rules regarding the clean and the unclean. Deuteronomy Fourteen verses three
to twenty-one, however, supplies a summary of these laws. Reason would dictate that
the legislation would have been in place initially in order for the summary to be made.
Dr Young proceeds to show how the work of Graf-Wellhausen came under sustained
attack from among the Higher Critics in the early years of the 20th
Century as other
theories were set forth. Dr Alan Cairns writing over 50 years after Dr Young’s work
made this telling remark, “Though this theory has been rendered obsolete by the
patient study of the whole procedure of deducing different documents by the use of
the divine names, and by the discoveries of modern archaeology, it is still taught in
many theological institutions.”5
Dr Young concluded his chapter on “Literary
Criticism of the Pentateuch” with the remarks, “More than two hundred years of
exhaustive study have been unable to produce a satisfactory substitute for the time-
honoured Biblical view that Moses himself was the human author of the Law. Hence,
5
Ambassador-Emerald International, Belfast and Greenville, 1998, page 109.

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we cannot do better than to regard the Pentateuch as the product of the great law-giver
of Israel”.6
The clearest evidence, however, that Moses penned Leviticus and indeed the other
four books of the Pentateuch is found in the Bible itself. The Westminster Divines
wisely wrote, “The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed
and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon
God, (who is truth itself), the author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because
it is the word of God”.7
As the Bible Christian presupposes the Scriptures to be the
revelation of God to mankind he needs look no farther than to this infallible book to
determine authorship and authority.
It is clear from the Pentateuch itself that Moses is attributed as being the author as we
have already noticed from the opening words of Leviticus. Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers and Deuteronomy are replete with references to the Lord speaking the words
to Moses who in turn transmitted them to God’s people. The actual phrase “the Lord
spake unto Moses”, is found in the Pentateuch on 105 occasions. To argue against the
Mosaic authorship is to claim that these sacred books upon which the ancient Jewish
faith and indeed New Testament Christianity was erected were forgeries and
fabrications. It is to deny the essence of faith itself, which for Bible believer is
unthinkable.
Throughout the remainder of the Old Testament references are made to the Law as
being written by Moses. After the death of Moses God solemnly charged Joshua:
6
Introduction to the Old Testament, Young., Edward J.
The Tyndale Press, London, Revised Edition, March 1956, page 153.
7
Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch.1 Sec.4.

9
“Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as
I said unto Moses….Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee:
turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever
thou goest”8
(bold type mine).
In Joshua 8 an altar was erected, the new leader copied the law of Moses and
blessings and curses were pronounced on the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim all
according to the words of Moses.9
Joshua led the nation in a successful military
campaign against the inhabitants of Canaan before dividing the territory among the
tribes. On each occasion he claimed his authority both for the war and geographical
distribution from the fact that Moses had given particular commands that had to be
followed:
“And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how
that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and
to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore
afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing…..As the LORD
commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land”10
(bold
mine).
As King David drew near to the point of death he emphasized the Mosaic authorship
of the law to Solomon with the words, ““And keep the charge of the LORD thy God,
8
Joshua 1:3,8.
9
Joshua 8:31-33.
10
Joshua 9:24, 14:5.

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to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments,
and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in
all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself”11
(bold type mine).
Solomon himself as he prayed at the dedication of the temple emphasised the same
point, “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to
all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he
promised by the hand of Moses his servant”12
(bold type mine). This latter phrase
“by the hand of Moses” would indicate that Moses did not merely pass on the words
orally but literally wrote them down with his hand.
The later history of the Kings would illustrate that leaders were judged as to how they
observed the law, which God gave to Moses. Amaziah, King of Judah is an example
of one who failed in this regard, “But the children of the murderers he slew not:
according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the
LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor
the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his
own sin”13
(bold type mine). Conversely the saintly Josiah of Judah is commended in
this very detail, “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the
LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all
the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him”14
(bold type mine).
After the captivity in Babylon the Hebrews enjoyed at least four periods of revival
under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. It is quite clear that these
11
1Kings 2:3
12
1 Kings 8:56
13
2 Kings 14:6
14
2 Kings 23:25

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awakenings involved a rediscovery of the word of the Lord, which Moses had
received. What ought to be of special interest to us in our consideration of Leviticus,
is that in Ezra and Nehemiah the Levitical Code is alluded to and in so doing Moses is
ascribed as being the author. Under Zerubbabel the altar was re-established for the
offering of sacrifices, “Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the
priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of
the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses
the man of God”15
(bold type mine)..When the temple was reconstructed the
priesthood was organised in keeping with the Pentateuch, “And they set the priests in
their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at
Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses”16
(bold type mine). Ezra himself as
a scribe was quite clear as to the authorship of the law which he was copying, “This
Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which
the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request,
according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him”17
(bold type mine). In the time
of Nehemiah’s leadership the people were awakened as to the importance of the great
festival of gratitude and joy, the Feast of the Tabernacles. Under Ezra’s ministry it
was discovered that this feast was instituted by Moses many years previous under the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, “And all the people gathered themselves together as
one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the
scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded
to Israel…And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by
15
Ezra 3:2
16
Ezra 6:18
17
Ezra 7:6

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Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh
month”17
(bold type mine).
Of the prophets both Daniel and Malachi attribute authorship of the law to Moses:
“Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey
thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the
law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him”19
(bold type
mine).
“As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not
our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and
understand thy truth”20
(bold type mine).
“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in
Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments”21
(bold type mine).
Throughout Old Testament times it is therefore evident that there was never any doubt
concerning the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. To the Jew this was something
sacred and untouchable. To deny Moses was the penman of the Torah, the five books
of the law, was to deny God and the entire range of ancient revelation. There was
never any suggestion that parts of the Pentateuch were added later and that it was not
complete until after the Babylonian exile. I have, I believe, demonstrated that Ezra,
18
Nehemiah 8:1,14
19
Daniel 9:11
20
Daniel 9:13
21
Malachi 4:4

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whom the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis claimed, added the priestly code clearly
believed that Moses gave the entire law. We must stand, on this issue, upon the words
of Holy Scripture or we simply have no reliable faith. If Moses did not write the law
can we be sure then that Moses even existed? If Moses did not pen the Torah can we
believe then the account concerning creation? In other words to deny something so
clearly taught is to undermine the Scriptures of Truth, which is the end game of all the
schools of unbelief.
Not only, however, is it clear from the Old Testament scriptures that Moses was the
author of the Pentateuch but this teaching is also fundamental to New Testament truth.
Our blessed Saviour clearly emphasized the authorship of Moses on numerous
occasions of which the following are examples:
“And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the
priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them”22
(bold
type mine).
“ They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of
divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the
hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning
it was not so”23
(bold type mine).
22
Matthew 8:4
23
Matthew 19:7-8

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“For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or
mother, let him die the death”24
(bold type mine).
“And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses,
how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?”25
(bold type mine).
“And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer
for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them”26
(bold type mine).
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself”27
(bold type mine).
“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me”28
(bold type mine).
Christ therefore endorsed the traditional Jewish view that Moses was the sole author
of the Torah. To challenge this truth is to deny the position of Jesus Christ as Son of
God and second person of the Holy Trinity. Such is the supernatural unity of the
Word of God that a refusal to believe in the sole authorship of Moses of the first
books of Scripture is to commit the horrible blasphemy that Jesus Christ is not the
Saviour of men. Our Lord’s claim to be Saviour is erected upon his perfection as God
24
Mark 7:10
25
Mark 12:26
26
Luke 5:14
27
Luke 24:27
28
John 5:46

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and to undermine this is to sweep away the gospel of grace, the only hope for this
world of sin.
As the apostles and other followers of our Lord fulfilled his commission in bringing
the gospel to the world of men we would expect them to follow his example and
verify Moses as the author of the law. We therefore discover this to be the case
throughout the remainder of the New Testament. When Peter, the undisputed leader
of the twelve disciples preached in the temple he declared, “For Moses truly said
unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your
brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto
you”29
(bold type mine). As the saintly Stephen, from the first seven deacons, testified
of Christ under the shadow of martyrdom he spoke of God communicating directly
with Moses, “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had
appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion
that he had seen”30
(bold type mine). When James the chairman of the first church
council gathering summed up the deliberations of that momentous occasion he was
quite clear as to who was being read when the Torah was opened, “For Moses of old
time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every
sabbath day”31
(bold type mine). When Paul stood before King Agrippa he had no
doubts that his message was agreeable with the words which had written, “Having
therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and
great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say
should come”32
(bold type mine). Our final earthly view of Paul’s life is that of a
29
Acts 3:22
30
Acts 7:44
31
Acts 15:21
32
Acts 26:22

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preacher being absolutely faithful to the word of God, part of which was the writings
of Moses the man of God, “And when they had appointed him a day, there came
many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of
God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of
the prophets, from morning till evening”33
(bold type mine). When the mighty
apostle of the Gentiles was unfolding the mysteries of the Gospel in his majestic letter
to the Romans he was certain that Moses received his writings from the mouth of
God, but was Moses which received them, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion”34
(bold type mine). Communicating with the Corinthians the same
apostle made mention of the ceremonial law originating under inspiration from the
pen of Moses, “For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the
mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?”35
(bold type
mine). Finally, in his Epistle to the Hebrews Paul emphasized that the design and
construction of the tabernacle, upon which much of Leviticus is based, while coming
from God was communicated to the Israelites by Moses the great prophet of Israel,
“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was
admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he,
that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount”36
(bold
type mine).
If we are therefore to accept the teachings of the New Testament we must believe the
often-repeated assertion that the Pentateuch was written by the hand of Moses. This is
33
Acts 28:23
34
Romans 9:15
35
1 Corinthians 9:9
36
Hebrews 8:5

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important not only because his authorship is referred to plainly but also because the
preaching of Christ and the apostles was based upon the Law of Moses. The New
Testament both enhanced and perfected the words that Moses received thousands of
years earlier. Moses gave the Law, which was in itself a revelation of God, his
holiness, his justice and his truth. While this concept of an angry God was prominent
in the Old Testament we view glimpses of the mercy of Jehovah in providing grace
for rebellious and disobedient man. The demands of the Ceremonial Law, which will
figure highly in this thesis, were in effect an act of grace. Through the blood and gore
of the Levitical offerings we view God graciously offering Israel peace. Through the
solemnity of the feasts with their strict and precise observance we see God in the Law
extending himself in mercy to fallen man. The revelation of grace in those ancient
times, however, was incomplete because Christ had not yet arrived. The people of
Israel saw something of Jehovah’s mercy but it was only a shadow that would
eventually be illuminated by the glory of Christ’s appearance. It was Robert Murray
McCheyne who wrote so beautifully on this very subject, “Suppose that one to whom
you were a stranger was wrapt in a thick veil, so that you could not discern his
features; still if the lineaments were pointed out to you through the folds, you could
form an idea of the beauty and form of the veiled one. But suppose that one whom
you know and love – whose features you have often studied face to face – were to be
veiled up in this way how easily you could discern the features and form of this
beloved one! Just so the Jews looked upon the veiled Saviour, whom they had never
seen unveiled. We under the New Testament, look upon an unveiled Saviour; and
going back to the old, we can see far better than the Jews could, the features and form
of Jesus the Beloved, under the veil. In Isaac offered (Genesis 22), in the scapegoat
(Leviticus 16), in the shadow of the great rock Isaiah 32:2), in the apple tree (Song Of

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Solomon 2:2) what exquisite pictures there are seen of Jesus! And how much more
plainly we see the meaning than believers of old.”37
If the New Testament is indeed
an unveiling of the Old Testament then it is vital that we believe all the assertions
made in Scriptures regarding the Law and the other Hebrew scriptures. We cannot,
therefore, understand the New Testament without the Old Testament and vice versa,
as they are two parts of the one whole. This is surely apparent from the abundance of
references to and direct quotes from the Old Covenant in the writings of the apostles.
These references and quotes are so numerous that we can boldly declare that the New
Testament is based upon Old Testament truth. Therefore our Saviour said, “Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil.”38
Perhaps the clearest reference to the relationship between the writings of
Moses and ministry of our Lord is found in the first chapter of John’s Gospel:
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”39
Here Christ is presented in contrast to Moses who is described as giving the Law.
While the Law, which represented holiness and justice, was pre-eminent in the
ministry of Moses grace and forgiveness were key features in the life and teachings of
our Saviour. At the same time, however, I am convinced that this text clearly shows
that Moses’ ministry was a preparation for the later ministry of Christ. Both
ministries differ only regarding their emphasis yet at the same time they stand
together as two indissoluble features of the same message. Christ engendered much
opposition among the Jews by presenting this very argument, ““But if ye believe not
37
Commentary on Leviticus, Bonar, Andrew, Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1966. Pages 8-9.
38
Matthew 5:17
39
John 1:17

19
his (Moses) writings, how shall ye believe my words?”40
(brackets mine). The
importance of Moses’ ministry and writings in the person and work of Christ was
clearly evident when he appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration.41
This
account told so vividly in three Gospels surely rubber stamps all the claims in
Scripture that Moses was indeed the sole human author of the Torah, as the ancient
Jews so firmly attested. His pre-eminent position as one of the representatives of the
Old Testament economy can only explained by the fact that he did receive the words
of the Pentateuch which he then recorded in accordance to the requirements of
Jehovah.
Therefore to claim that Moses did not write the Pentateuch is not only to undermine
the deity of Christ and the authority of the apostles but it is to totally destroy the core
message of redemption in the gospel of grace. If Christ came to fulfil the Law of
Moses and if his ministry presupposed the existence of and the teaching of Moses,
then to sweep away Moses is to violate the work wrought on the cross when the
bleeding Lamb of God took upon his body the sins of humanity. There is quite
simply no Christ, no gospel, no substitutionary death, no resurrection, no new birth
and no second coming without Moses and his authorship of the Pentateuch.
Let us then return to the first words of Leviticus where two facts are clearly presented:
“And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the
congregation, saying,”42
40
John 5:47
41
Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36
42
Leviticus 1:1

20
I have developed the first fact essential to our understanding of the book; that the
authorship of Moses is without question an integral part of the whole range of Biblical
and gospel truth. Now I wish to turn to the second fact which is deduced from these
introductory words; that Leviticus is inspired, coming not merely from the mind of
Moses but from God himself as the primary author. Leviticus is therefore part of the
revealed word of God wherein Jehovah presents himself and his will not only to
ancient Israel but also to believers in this New Testament age.
When the Westminster Divines framed the Shorter Catechism their answer to the
question, “What do the scriptures principally teach?”, has much to instruct us both in
regard to God’s purpose in giving us Leviticus as well as the other books which
comprise the Word of Truth, “The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe
concerning God, and what duty God requires of man”43
. The first task of scripture is
to teach us the identity of God. Therefore throughout the scriptures God reveals
himself. The Bible is essentially a book of divine revelation. B.B. Warfield
succinctly wrote on this issue, “The religion of the Bible thus announces itself not as
the product of men’s search after God, if haply they may feel after Him, but as the
creation in men of the gracious God, forming a people for Himself, that they might
show forth His praise. In other words, the religion of the Bible presents itself as
distinctly a revealed religion. Or rather, to speak more exactly, it announces itself as
the revealed religion, as the only revealed religion; and sets itself as such over against
all other revealed religions, which are represented as all products, in a sense in which
it is not, of the art and device of man.”44
Warfield in his article on the “Biblical Idea
of Revelation” proceeded to identify the process of revelation. As God gave his word
43
Answer to Question 2 of the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Standards.
44
The Works of Benjamin B Warfield, Volume 1, Warfied Benjamin B.,
Baker Book House Company 2003, page 4.

21
he progressively revealed himself to man building as it were one brick on top of
another until with the close of the Apocalypse he finally unveiled a complete
manifestation of himself, which we are privileged to enjoy today. God did not only
reveal himself in gradual way throughout the era of inspiration but he also used
various modes. Quoting from A.B. Davidson (“OT Prophecy 1903 p 148; c.f. pp. 12-
14, 145 ff”) Warfield highlights two ways by which God revealed himself in the Old
Testament age:
“What may be somewhat indefinitely marked off as the Patriarchal age is
characteristically ‘the period of outward Manifestations and Symbols and
Theophanies:’ during it ‘God spoke to men through their senses, in physical
phenomena, as the burning bush, the cloudy pillar, or in sensuous forms, as men
angels etc…In the Prophetic age, on the contrary, the prevailing mode of revelation
was by ,means of inward prophetic inspiration’: God spoke to men characteristically
by the movements of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. ‘Prevailingly at any rate from
Samuel downwards, the supernatural revelation was a revelation in the hearts of the
foremost thinkers of the people, or as we call it, prophetic inspiration, without the aid
of external sensuous symbols of God.’”44
There is certainly a lot of truth in what Davidson had to say on this point. I believe it
is fair to point out, however, that in the Patriarchal age God did at times speak
inwardly via “prophetic inspiration”, as Davidson puts it, because without this it
would have been impossible for Moses to write the great history of the beginnings,
Genesis. Also in the later Prophetic age, so defined by Davison, God on occasions
presented himself by supernatural phenomena. The visions of Isaiah, Ezekiel and
Baker Book House Company 2003, page 14.

22
Daniel45
are clear examples of this, when men were clearly overwhelmed by awesome
visions of a holy God. I think Davidson is clearly wrong to assert that in the
“Prophetic age” God spoke supernaturally through the “foremost thinkers of the
people.” This certainly creates the impression that God was choosing men of natural
flair and ability to relay his word. It is true that many of the prophets, as in the case of
Moses, possessed brilliant minds but others such as Amos, the Herdman of Tekoa,
had no great academic attainments. God selected his spokesmen for reasons of grace
and equipped them for the task of revelation regardless of their literary genius.
Broadly speaking, however, Davidson’s statements are true and they do demonstrate
the fact that God did speak progressively using various means throughout the Old
Testament age in revealing himself.
Moses, therefore falls naturally into what Davidson calls the Patriarchal age where
God did speak more often through physical phenomena. Moses did experience such
intercourse with Jehovah at the burning bush for example. Nevertheless it is also true
to say that such was God’s intimacy with the great law giver of Israel that the
relationship with Moses stands unique not only among the Patriarchs but also among
all the Old Testament authors. The Lord drew attention to the singular position with
which Moses was favoured with the following speech, “And he said, Hear now my
words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto
him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who
is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently,
and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore
45
Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7-12.

23
then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”46
Therefore after the
passing of this remarkable individual the Lord underscored the importance of his life;
“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew
face to face,”47
. While Moses is afforded a most unique place in the annals of
revelation we must not, however, be drawn into thinking that his writings are more
inspired that the other Old Testament penmen. The Bible is inspired not because of
the human author but because God spoke the word. B.B. Warfield noted this vital
point:
“The circumstance that God spoke to Moses, not by dream or vision but mouth to
mouth, is, indeed, adverted to (Num. 12:8) as a proof of the peculiar favour shown to
Moses and even of the superior dignity of Moses above other organs of revelation;
God admitted him to an intimacy of intercourse which he did not afford to others. But
though Moses was thus distinguished above all others in the dealings of God with
him, no distinction is drawn between the revelations given through him and those
given through other organs of revelation in point of either Divinity or authority”.48
This brings us naturally to the miracle of inspiration. This Book of Leviticus is
indeed the word of God yet at the same time it is the writing of Moses. The Lord
gave the words to Moses but in so doing equipped the prophet to write them using his
natural literary skills. Therefore this book is God’s word as well a being the words of
a Hebrew educated in the royal house of Egypt by the best scholars available in the
world at that time. The miracle of inspiration fuses the mind of God with the abilities
46
Numbers 12:6-8
47
Deuteronomy 34:10
48
Baker Book House Company 2003, page 17

24
of man. This in turn creates a volume full of diversity and rich in human experience
while every word is eternal and unchangeable truth:
“You see, then, it was sometimes the artless and sublime simplicity of John;
sometimes the impassioned elliptical, rousing, and logical energy of Paul, sometimes
the fervour and solemnity of Peter; it was Isaiah’s magnificent and David’s lyrical,
poetry, it was the simple and majestic narratives of Moses, or the sententious and
royal wisdom of Solomon – yes it was all this; it was Peter, it was Isaiah, it was
Matthew, it was John, it was Moses; yet it was God”.49
There are two New Testament texts that clearly confirm the ancient Jewish belief that
Leviticus, as well as the other four books of the Torah and the entire Old Testament,
was given by God. The first is found in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make
thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:”50
The first question we need to address ourselves to here is, “What were the holy
scriptures?” The words “holy scriptures” literally read “sacred writings”. We must
bear in mind that Paul was writing as one who had been educated as a devout Jew.
For him, therefore, the holy writings were the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms or as
they were sometimes styled, The Law and the Prophets. This was the ancient Jewish
49
“Theopneustia:” The Plenary Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, Gaussen L.,
Passmore and Alabaster, London, 1891. Page 54
50
2 Timothy 3:15-16

25
Bible which we today call the Old Testament. Timothy as the recipient had a Jewish
mother who exerted a tremendous influence for good upon her growing boy. For him
too the sacred writings were those ancient scriptures, which inevitably included the
Book of Leviticus.
The second raised by this passage is, “What does Paul mean by ‘All scripture’?” The
phrase “holy scriptures” come from the Greek words “hieros gramma” (sacred
writings) whereas the subsequent term “All scripture” is a different Greek
construction, “pas graphe”. There are, as I can determine, two interpretations as to
why this should be the case. Vincent’s word studies indicate that “ ‘graphe’ is the
single passage, usually defined by this, or that, or the, or which saith”.51
Vincent then
proceeds to argue that Paul is emphasizing that all the individual passages of scripture
are inspired. Therefore he is emphasizing inspiration in a more demonstrative manner
than he would have done had he simply called them the “Holy Writings”. “Vine’s
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words” certainly shows numerous examples
where “graphe” is used in order to quote individual passages of the Old Testament.52
Where Vincent’s analysis fails, I feel, is that it does not account for the manner in
which “gramma” is employed elsewhere in the New Testament. Indeed it is only in
the text in question where the translators have given “gramma” the rendering
“scripture”. As Vine points out this word literally means “a letter of the alphabet”.53
Therefore when Paul wrote “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with
mine own hand”54
he employed “gramma”. It is true that this word is an idiom of
51
Esword Commentary, downloaded from esword.net.
52
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vine W. E.
Macdonald Publishing Company, Maclean, Virginia. Page 1011.
53
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vine W. E.
Macdonald Publishing Company, Maclean, Virginia. Page 1012.
54
Galatians 6:11

26
speech and is therefore rendered writings and also learning. Therefore it is used in a
similar fashion to the phrase we would employ to describe an educated individual; “a
man of letters”. I would argue, however; why would Paul move from a word meaning
letter to one which means passage in order to assert more firmly that every part of the
Bible is inspired? Surely “gramma” would have been perfect in affirming that every
letter of the Old Testament was God given.
I feel that William Hendriksen is much closer to the mark in explaining why Paul in
Second Timothy Chapter Three uses two different words. He asserts, as I have done,
that the term “Holy Scriptures” means the sacred writings or the whole body of Old
Testament truth which Timothy would have received from his Jewish upbringing.
Then Hendrickson interestingly states, “ ‘All scripture’, in distinction from the ‘sacred
writings’ means everything which, through the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the
church, is recognized by the church as canonical, that is, authoritative. When Paul
wrote these words, the direct reference was to a body of sacred literature which even
then comprised more than the Old Testament.”55
I find this exposition to be logical
and satisfactory. Timothy when he was a child learned from the ancient Hebrew
Scriptures but now Paul was asserting that Timothy must remember that all scripture,
including the writings of the apostles, are inspired. For the purpose of this study,
however, I wish to emphasise that Paul was including the Book of Leviticus in this
statement “All scripture”.
The third question that this text poses is, “What did Paul mean by word inspiration?”
This is pivotal word, key to our understanding of the doctrine of the Bible. I have
55
New Testament Commentary, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles,
Henrickson, William and. Kistemaker, Simon J Baker Books, 1957, page 301.

27
found B.B Warfield’s comments to be more than helpful in that they blessed my soul
richly as I pondered this subject:
“The Greek term has, however, nothing to say of inspiring or inspiration: it speaks
only of ‘spiring’ or ‘spiration.’ What it says of scripture is, not that it is ‘breathed into
by God’ or the product of the Divine ‘inbreathing’ into its human authors, but that it is
breathed out by God, ‘God-breathed,’ the product of the creative breath of God. In a
word, what is declared to by this fundamental passage is simply that the scriptures are
a Divine product, without any indication of how God has operated in producing them.
No term could have been chosen, however, which would have more emphatically
asserted the Divine production of scripture than that which is here employed. The
‘breath of God’ is in Scripture just the symbol of His almighty power, the bearer of
His creative word. ‘By the word of Jehovah,’ we read in the significant parallel of
Psalm Thirty-Nine Verse Six, ‘were the heavens made and all the host of them by the
breath of his mouth.’ And it is particularly where the operations of God are energetic
that this term…is employed to designate them – God’s breath is the irresistible
outflow of his power. When Paul declares, then, that ‘every scripture,’ or ‘all
scripture’ is the product of the Divine breath, ‘is God-breathed,’ he asserts with as
much energy as he could employ that scripture is the product of a specifically Divine
operation.”56
It follows, therefore, that if this book is the breath of God then it must necessarily
possess the attributes of God. As the Scriptures are part of God they are logically
56

28
infallible, eternal and unchangeable. Our blessed Saviour constantly appealed to the
Scriptures, which in his day were the Holy Writings; the Law, the Prophets and the
Psalms. He used the power of the Word in defeating Satan in the wilderness. Three
times he used the words “it is written” to thwart the schemes of the Devil and so doing
won a convincing victory57
. Each of the references that our Lord quoted and by
which he won a notable victory, were from the Law of Moses.58
This is certainly an
infallible attestation of the power of God present in the Bible.
Christ also bore witness to the indestructible nature of the Scriptures:
“…the scripture cannot be broken”59
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”60
On this point we refer again to the telling remarks of B.B. Warfield:
“It belongs to Scripture through and through down to its most minute particulars, that
it is of indefectible authority.”61
57
Matthew 4:1-11
58
Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16 and 6:13
59
John 10:35
60
Matthew 5:18
61

29
This authority of Scripture as having the power and essence of God, which Christ bore
witness to, adds weight to Paul’s word to Timothy that all scripture was inspired,
God-breathed.
The major point I wish to draw from this text as we stand upon the threshold of
Leviticus is that this book is God’s Word and therefore we are duty bound to examine
its sacred contents. Many Christians today, I fear, are too content with what they
consider to be the simple and straightforward narratives. This undoubtedly results in
huge portions of scripture being neglected. The reason for this blatant disregard for
portions of God’s truth is sheer unadulterated spiritual laziness. The modern believer
shies away from Scriptures, which require overmuch thought and study. “Thinking
about the Bible is the preserve of the preacher and the theologian but I have neither
the time nor the inclination to spend time on parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, most of
the Minor Prophets and Leviticus”, is the plea of so many believers today. Paul’s
statement, however, surely demonstrates that all Scripture including the holy writings
of ancient times are the creative breath of God. Notice carefully that he proceeds to
teach that each part of God’s Word “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”62
This application drawn from the
doctrine of inspiration provides a substantive reason as to why Leviticus should be
studied. The key words here are “profitable” and “perfect” or equipped. Time spent
on Leviticus will be profitable in that we will be better equipped to serve the Lord in
this wicked sinful world. We can therefore draw the inference that if we neglect this
portion we will be the losers because we will not be prepared for the Christian life as
62
2nd
Timothy 3:16-17

30
we may have been. Lack of preparation for God’s service may leave us open to
attacks from Satan and may eventually lead us into paths of sin we thought we would
never tread. In Second Timothy Chapter Two the apostle clearly taught that Timothy
had a responsibility to make himself “a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the
master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”63
Prior to making this comment
Paul carefully exhorted his young brother to ““Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”64
Therefore Paul was constantly emphasizing, in what was undoubtedly his last epistle,
that one’s spirituality and usefulness was linked to the time and effort expended on
the Word, which included all the sacred writings which the Jews regarded as inspired.
The rites and ceremonies of Leviticus may appear tedious and at times we may
struggle to grasp their meaning but let us remember that a sovereign God has given us
this book for our learning and edification. Therefore the sacrifices and feasts of
Leviticus are as important to us spiritually as the records of Genesis, the devotions of
David, the histories of Christ and the apostles and the high doctrine of Paul because
they originated from the same infinite mind. As we examine this, the third book of
Moses, through the looking glass of New Testament truth we shall I trust uncover
diamonds which will enrich our Christian experience. By faith this will be our
experience because this book is the inspired Word of Jehovah.
The second New Testament text, which certainly confirms the fact that Leviticus is
part of God’s Word, is found in the writings of Peter:
63
2nd
Timothy 2:21
64
2nd
Timothy 2:15

31
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in
your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”65
Firstly let us dispense with the Popish myth that man has no right to attempt to
understand the Bible because “it is of no private interpretation”. The context of this
statement would teach us that what is in view here are not the principles for Bible
study, rather Peter is showing us how the Bible originated. Rome during the long
black centuries of darkness bound the people in ignorance by depriving them of this
“light that shineth in a dark place”. It is no wonder that the dark ages were
characterized by such superstition, ignorance and depravity when the source of light,
the Word of Truth was withheld from the people on the basis of a text wrested and
perverted by the powers of antichrist. Even in this post Vatican Council Two era,
when the Rome pays lip service to the Bible, she has miserably failed to enthuse her
people with any great love for the Word. When conducting some outreach ministry I
seized upon an opportunity to witness to a Roman Catholic priest. As I quoted
scripture he expressed admiration at the way “you people” ( by which he meant born
again Protestants) “know the Bible”. He went onto enquire if my people (my
congregation) read their scriptures and claimed that he could not get his people (the
Catholics of his parish) to read God’s Word. The fact remains that although the
Papacy may countenance the reading of the Bible she will not tolerate attempts to
understand the Scriptures because this will undermine her elaborate system of works
65
2 Peter 1:19-21

32
and merit, which run contrary to the core message of grace, which dominates God’s
Word. The people therefore will not read what they cannot study or comprehend. To
read the Bible with an enquiring mind would risk anathema and this must not be
contemplated.
Peter is essentially teaching us here that the Bible is a book of light because it came
not from the mind of man. In this book we do not discover the private views of Paul
or the personal prejudices of Matthew. Rather what is in view is the truth of God
because these “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”.
There is no doubt in my mind that Peter is describing all the writings of Old and New
Testaments with the term “prophecy”. After all, practically every book in the
scriptures contain prophecy by way of foretelling and certainly every pen man was a
forthteller, which was the primary function of the prophet. Peter’s main purpose in
this passage was to emphasise the reliability of God’s word. The text begins with the
remark, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy”. This begs the question,
“What are the inspired writings more sure or more certain than?” In the previous
verses he relates his own unforgettable experience, which he shared with James and
John, when he was an eyewitness of Christ’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
After speaking of this event he emphasised that the inspired Word of God is more sure
than his own unique and blessed experience. We may not have stood with the
disciples at empty tomb on the morning of the resurrection, we may not have
witnessed Lazarus shuffling out of his place of burial, we may not have stood at the
base of Sinai’s thunderings nor watched with amazement as the Red Sea parted but
yet we possess something more sure than these spectacular events. We possess the
records of God and this is more important and more real than to have been physically

33
present when the events occurred. The importance of this cannot be minimised.
Many people witnessed the greatest miracles of all time and yet died as poor lost
sinners. It is not with the seeing of the eye, nor yet is it with the hearing of the ear
that man is convinced of the truth of God. The graves prepared in the wilderness for a
whole generation of Israelites, who had witnessed awesome demonstrations of power,
are evidence enough of this. Rather, man is convinced of the veracity of the Lord
through his Word alone. Therefore, in possessing the full counsel of Divine truth we
today have a stronger word than any of the believers living in Biblical times enjoyed.
This is, I am convinced, the full import of Peter’s words.
Then the one, who had a place of pre-eminence among the twelve, progressed to say
that this Word was more certain because it is the product of God moving in the hearts
of men by the Holy Ghost. These holy men of God, of whom Moses was one, only
transcribed what the Lord has put in their hearts. It is true that the intricacies as to
how God actually produced his words in the hearts and ultimately the pens of these
men are hidden from us. As Professor Gaussen adequately wrote, we are not called to
probe these hidden secrets that belong to God alone; “Were we asked, then, how this
work of divine inspiration has been accomplished in the men of God, we should reply,
that we do not know; that it does not behove us to know; and that it is in the same
ignorance, and with a faith quite of the same kind, that we receive the doctrine of the
new birth and sanctification of the soul by the Holy Ghost. We believe that the Spirit
enlightens that soul, cleanses it, raises it, comforts it, softens it. We perceive all these
effects; we admire and we adore the cause; but we have found it our duty never to

34
know the means by which this is done. Be it the same, then, with regard to divine
inspiration.”66
In the following section Gaussen then made this pithy remark:
“Such then is the Word of God. It is God speaking in man, God speaking by man,
God speaking as man, God speaking for man.”67
This is why we must give ourselves to the consideration of this book, which naturally
we may turn away from. The first verse ought to be argument enough. Surely God is
speaking in Moses, God is speaking by Moses, God is speaking as Moses and most
importantly God is speaking through Moses for Israel, not only the ancient people, but
the elect of all ages. This book is part of God’s Word because there is a message here
for us. By the grace of our Saviour let us grasp this message.
66
“Theopneustia:” The Plenary Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, Gaussen L..,
Passmore and Alabaster, London, 1891. Page 28.
67
“Theopneustia:” The Plenary Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, Gaussen L..,
Passmore and Alabaster, London, 1891. Page 34

35
CHAPTER TWO
INTERPRETING THE TYPES IN LEVITICUS
All who are diligent students of the Holy Scriptures are familiar with the word “type”.
This particular branch of Bible study is unique to the New Testament Christian.
Using this method the believer examines Old Testament truth using the searchlight of
New Testament doctrine in order that he might gain important insights into the mind
of God. Indeed, I would further add, that it is impossible to understand the Word of
God without taking time to study the types of the Old Testament. Either the rituals of
the ancient Jew have no relevance or importance to man today, unless he is a scholar
with an interest in such historic detail, or God has recorded these ceremonies for our
learning. We are therefore thrown back upon the premise that the Bible is God’s
inspired truth and that every detail is important not only for Israel historically but for
the New Testament Church, the Israel of God. To comprehend Leviticus we must
seek some understanding of this branch of theology known as typology.
Benjamin Keach in his excellent work, “Preaching From the Types and Metaphors of
the Bible”, produces five aspects of typology that have a bearing upon this particular
study. These remarks by a most learned and accomplished divine relate mainly to the
New Testament word “typos” which is the source of our English term, “type”. Keach
firstly stated that, “a type, is called a print or mark, which is made by beating as John
20.25. What we call the print of the nails, is in Greek….the type of the nails; that is,
the impression or holes left by the nails beaten or driven through his hands”.1
In
1
Preaching From the Types and Metaphors of the Bible, Keach, Benjamin,

36
Leviticus we are presented with ancient rites that are engraved or stamped with
heavenly truth. Secondly Keach stressed that the “type denotes an example or
exemplar, which in certain actions we imitate, this goes before and is to be imitated.”2
The Greek word “typos” is used repeatedly in the New Testament with reference to
following a godly example set by another.3
The type therefore or the example always
goes before the follower. These ancient ceremonies in Leviticus were types of
patterns of what would transpire in the New Testament with the arrival of the
Messiah. It therefore follows that Christ fulfilled these examples perfectly and
therefore they must still provide us with significant teaching regarding his person and
work. Thirdly Keach stated that a type in classical usage was called “a description,
not very exact, viz., that which is made summarily, briefly and less completely.”4
This corresponds perfectly to the nature of the examples set forth in Leviticus. They
certainly teach us concerning Christ, yet the representation is only clear from the
vantage point of the New Testament. This is chiefly because the description of our
Lord in the type is imperfect which meant that the ancient Jew did not grasp the
glories of Christ, which we presently enjoy. Furthermore, Keach progressed to argue,
fourthly, that “a type, denotes a figure, image, effigy, or representation of anything,
and that either painted, feigned, or engraven, or expressed by any other way of
imitation, Acts 7.43.”5
While Jehovah consistently forbade the use of graven images
Kregal, U.S.A, 1972. Page 225.
2
3
Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:9,
1 Timothy 4:12, Titus 2:7, 1 Peter 5:3 and 2:21.
4
5
Preaching From the Types and Metaphors of the Bible, Keach, Benjamin

37
in worship he instituted the tabernacle with its attendant ceremonies as pictures or
illustrations of heavenly truth. The idolatrous nations were in bondage because of
dead idols but the children of Abraham enjoyed living truth enacted before their eyes
regularly through the glorious rituals of the ceremonial law. Keach finally
summarised his previous statements with as clear a definition of typology as is
possible to supply, in my estimation:
“Divines understand nothing else by types, but the images or figures of things present,
or to come; especially the actions and histories of the Old Testament, respecting such
as prefigured Christ our Saviour in his actions, life, passion, death, and the glory that
followed.”6
The key aspect of the above statement is Keach’s reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The study of typology is the study of Jesus Christ. These sacrifices and feasts of
ancient times were long fingers pointing forward to arrival of the Son of God. These
ceremonies were signposts showing the way to the Messiah who would arrive in the
fullness of times.
There is abundant evidence in the New Testament that it is both right and proper to
search God’s Word with an eye for the lessons to be gleaned from the types. Paul
called the earthly High Priest a “shadow of heavenly things”7
It follows, therefore,
that where there is shadow there must be the corresponding substance. The
ceremonies we shall consider throughout are the shadows full of hidden mysteries
which are unveiled by the advent of Christ, the light of men. In Hebrews Paul also
7
Hebrews 8:5

38
described the tabernacle rites as examples or patterns; ““It was therefore necessary
that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”8
The use of this word
instructs us that while New Testament facts unveil the meaning of the Old Testament
it is equally true that New Testament doctrine is embodied in the Hebrew Scriptures.
If the ceremonial law was the pattern of what was to come then this proposition has to
be true. This gives the lie to the system of interpretation known as Dispensationalism
which wrenches the Bible out of joint by ignoring this intrinsic and vital unity. The
Saviour himself gave his approval to the use of typology with the use of the word
“sign”:
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after
a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as
Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”9
Here we are taught that some of the most unlikely subject materials may be types.
Who but the blessed Saviour could have taken the place of Jonah’s chastening and
transformed it into a prefiguring of Christ’s humiliation? The Lord here explained
that by remaining in the belly of the whale for three days the prophet was a sign of
Christ’s body remaining in the tomb for the same period. It is true that every type is a
sign and where there is a sign there must the thing that is signified. In these ancient
ceremonies we shall observe the signs revealing the way to Jesus Christ. The word
8
Hebrews 9:23
9
Matthew 12:39-40

39
figure is also employed in the New Testament with reference to the tabernacle
worship;
“The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made
manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the
time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make
him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;”10
This is the Greek term “parabole” which means parable. As Christ employed
parables, which helped the people understand profound truth so Jehovah engaged the
same technique to teach Israel concerning the work of redemption. They were figures
looking forward to the teaching behind the parable, which was the person and work of
Christ our mediator. Closely linked to the word “parabole” is the Greek word
“homoiotes” which is translated similitude in the Authorized Version.
“And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there
ariseth another priest,”11
“Homoiotes” simply means “a resemblance”. In sacrifices and feasts we will observe
a resemblance of the salvation we presently enjoy in Christ, which must surely engage
our attention. Therefore through not only the Greek word “typos” but also through
these various other terms we are taught that typology is a Holy Ghost approved
system of Bible study.”12
10
Hebrews 9:8-9
11
Hebrews 7:15
12

40
It is not only important, however, to consider the actual types but in so doing we must
also think about the antitypes. The type in our case is found in the sacrifice or feast
whereas the antitype is the object typified. One is a necessary ingredient of the other.
It is worthy of our attention, however, that the New Testament uses a different set of
words to define the antitype as the fulfilment of the type. Consider what Paul wrote in
the Epistle to the Colossians:
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”13
The ancient ceremonies were the shadows whereas in Christ we observe the antitype
of the object shadowed which is the body. The body of our Saviour casts a shadow
over the entire Old Testament period whereas today we gaze upon the actual
substance and observe “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ”.14
Keach’s remarks on this matter are most quotable:
“In the time of the Old Testament God dwelt in the temple of Jerusalem, and upon the
ark of the covenant , in the mercy seat, but it was …typically. But when the fullness
of time was come, the whole of the Deity dwelt bodily, truly, and in a most eminent
manner personally in Christ’s human nature.”
Writing to the Hebrews Paul contrasts the type with the antitype with the words
“shadow” and “likeness”:
13
Colossians 2:17
14
2 Corinthians 4:6

41
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect.”15
The word “skia” (shadow) is a rude outline or the preliminary charcoal sketch of the
artist, according to Keach. On the other hand the “eikon” (image) is the complete
representation or to use the artistic illustration “the true and lively colours”.16
This
full representation is the antitype. Furthermore Paul also in his Epistle to the Hebrews
uses the phrase “heavenly things” to teach the existence of the antitype and contrast
them with the type which are depicted as being mere “patterns”.
“It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be
purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these.”17
Here the Holy Ghost gives his assent to the well-worn adage that a parable is an
“earthly story with a heavenly meaning”. In Leviticus we view the pattern or the
earthly story of redemption whereas the antitype reveals the reality of the heavenly
truth. Constantly it seems, these words emphasize the importance of looking into
these types. What better exercise for the believer than delving into heavenly truth?
This is the blessed thrust of this study. In John’s gospel the antitype is described as
being “grace and truth” which are the embodiment of the doctrine of the gospel:
15
Hebrews 10:1
16
17
Hebrews 9:23

42
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”18
The types were shrouded under the dark cloud of the Law, which reminded man of his
failure whereas with the advent of Christ our redeemer we meet the fullness of God’s
grace in the one who is the fullness of that Law. This contrast between law and grace
is perhaps the clearest and most fitting connection between the type and antitype that
may be uncovered in the New Testament. Paul took up this theme in his Epistle to the
Galatians:
“ But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”19
Here the type found in the law is the schoolmaster whereas the antitype is the lesson,
which is Christ. Under the type the Jews were shut up in bondage but with the arrival
of the antitype the glorious liberty of the doctrine of justification by faith became a
revealed truth. The person of Christ and reality of the gospel were present in ancient
times but they were obscure being veiled by the broken law. In this age these truths
have become apparent as the lesson taught by the old schoolmaster has now been
explained so clearly by Christ himself. Charles Wesley evidently grasped this truth
with the following verses:
Come, O thou Prophet of the Lord,
Thou great Interpreter divine,
18
John 1:17
19
Galatians 3:23-24

43
Explain thine own transmitted Word,
To teach and to inspire is Thine;
Thou only canst Thyself reveal,
Open the book and loose the seal.
Whate’er the ancient prophets spoke,
Concerning Thee, O Christ, make known;
Chief subject of the sacred book,
Thou fillest all, and Thou alone;
Yet there our Lord we cannot see
Unless Thy Spirit lend the key.
Now, Jesus, now the veil remove,
The folly of our darkened heart;
Unfold the wonders of Thy love,
The knowledge of Thyself impart:
Our ear, our inmost soul, we bow,
Speak, Lord, Thy servants hearken now.”20
Making use of the information gleaned generally from the Background to Leviticus,
Chapter One, and particularly from the current chapter as I have viewed the type and
in the antitype in New Testament usage, I now propose to outline certain
considerations, which must be paramount, in our thinking, when interpreting these
sacrifices and feasts.
20
Our Own Hymnbook, Psalms, Paraphrases and Hymns, Published by the Free Presbyterian Church
of Ulster, 1989. Hymn No. 187.

44
Firstly we must constantly remember that each part of God’s Word is important. This
consideration lifts these rites out of ordinary history, describing culturally remote
observances, to the supernatural administration of God’s grace which is most relevant
for the New Testament believer, who is a recipient of this same mercy. The Holy
Ghost emphasised this fact to the Roman believers through the penmanship of Paul,
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we
through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”21
In his “Typology
of Scripture” Professor Patrick Fairbairn stated that a study of the types actually gives
a grander view of the Old Testament Scriptures than we might have had if we never
fully discovered their worth:
“Another advantage resulting from a correct knowledge and appreciation of the
Typology of ancient Scripture, is the increased value and importance with which it
invests the earlier portions of revelation…For the whole of the Old Testament will
rise in our esteem, in proportion as we understand and enter into its typological
bearing.”22
One striking example of this is the ribbon of blue, which the Hebrew people were
commanded to fix to the hems of their garments as a constant reminder of the
commandments of the Lord.23
This little detail, found only once in the ancient
Scriptures, becomes all-important as the woman with the issue of blood touched
Christ, amid the throng of people, on the hem of his garment. As the ribbon spoke of
remembrance, Christ did not forget to show mercy to this poor woman who has spent
21
Romans 15:4
22
The Typology of Scripture Volume One, Fairbairn, Patrick, Glasgow,
T. & T, Clarke, Edinburgh, 1882. Page 216.
23
Numbers 15:38-41.

45
all that she while her affliction intensified. How wonderfully the Scriptures agree
interpreting themselves casting light throughout?
In the second place as we search the ancient types we must constantly look for Christ.
He is truly in all parts of the inspired Word, even in places where we do not instantly
recognise him. Christ himself gave authority to this view of God’s Word in his
discourse to the disciples who walked the road to Emmaus with heavy hearts; “And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself”.24
This revealing of Christ by himself had a most
remarkable and memorable effect upon these followers as the themselves testified,
“Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he
opened to us the scriptures?”25
As we come to study the Scriptures it must be
important that we pray for a fuller view of Christ and that the scales might lifted from
our eyelids:
“More about Jesus let me learn,
More of his holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my Teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.
More about Jesus in His Word,
Holding communion with my Lord;
Hearing his voice in every line,
Making each faithful saying mine
24
Luke 24:27
25
Luke 24:32

46
Eliza Edmunds Hewitt, 1851- 1920”26
Fairbairn despite all his intellectual ability and logical reasoning did not miss this vital
point, which he expressed with almost child-like confidence:
“In a word, the blessed Redeemer, whom the Gospel reveals, is Himself the beginning
and the end of the scheme of God’s dispensations; in Him is found alike the centre of
Heaven’s plan, and the one foundation of human confidence and hope. So that before
His coming into the world, all things of necessity pointed toward Him; types and
prophecies bore testimony to the things that concerned His work and His kingdom;
the children of blessing were blessed in anticipation of His promised redemption; and
with His coming, the grand reality itself came, and the higher purposes of Heaven
entered on their fulfilment.”27
It is important, thirdly, as we consider these types that we take time to familiarise
ourselves with, as in the case of this study, the sacrifices and feasts concerned. It is
impossible to come to any proper understanding of the antitype without primarily
studying the all the particulars of the rituals in their historical and cultural setting.
This can appear to be laborious but in the end, as with the toils of any workman, it
yields happy results. Again Professor Fairbairn I have discovered to be most helpful
with the comment, “…we are to find in what they were in their immediate relation to
the patriarchal of Jewish worshipper, the foundation and substance of what they
26
Our Own Hymnbook, Psalms, Paraphrases and Hymns, Published by the Free Presbyterian Church
of Ulster, 1989. Hymn No. 406.
27

47
typically present to the Christian Church…That they had a moral, political, or
religious end to serve for the time then present, so far from interfering with their
destination to typify the spiritual things of Gospel, forms the very ground of their
typical bearing. Hence their character in the one respect, the more immediate, may
justly to regarded as the essential key to their character in respect to what was more
remote.”28
It is a rule to be observed in all Bible Study that the context in which the text or the
passage sits must be the guiding principal in interpretation. Many heresies have
tragically been erected upon a failure to observe this hermeneutical precept.
Fourthly it naturally follows that the ceremony involved will be better understood by
examining the various Scriptures in which it is found. For example it would be
impossible to understand the Passover without considering the Exodus. The
celebrations of the Feast of Tabernacles in the days of Nehemiah and indeed in the
times of our Lord will throw much light upon this ceremony in Leviticus. To
comprehend the Feast of Pentecost it will be necessary to view the events of Acts
Chapter Two and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. By employing this rule the self-
interpreting nature and unity of the inspired word will become plain.
It is important, fifthly, that we identify the key truth revealed in each type. While
there may be many strands of truth in each rite there is a leading and a unique idea to
be discovered in each one. This must be the case otherwise the Lord would have
instituted one sacrifice and one feast instead of five of each. As the Bible is God’s
28
T. & T, Clarke, Edinburgh, 1882, 1882. Page 186,187

48
Word we must accept that there are two sets of five rites for a clear purpose. These
were regular ceremonies in the spiritual life of the ancient Jew. Therefore, there must
be a leading strand of teaching in the sacrifices with the out flowing of five clear sub
concepts. The same must be true of the feasts.
In the five offerings I can see lessons, which outline the devotion of the believer to
Christ. In this set of studies I shall show how various aspects of the Christian life are
brought into sharp focus through these ancients rites. In the Burnt Offering we see
Faith in Christ, through the Meat Offering we observe Following after Christ, from
the Peace Offering we are taught Fellowship with Christ, by contemplating the Sin
Offering we see Forgiveness by Christ and in the Trespass Offering we behold the Fee
Demanded by Christ.
When we come the five feasts I have observed a set of truths detailing the extent of
the Christian’s deliverance by the power and merits of Christ’s person and work. The
Passover presents Redemption through Christ, Pentecost Reviving by Christ, the Feast
of Trumpets instructs us in the art of Remembrance of Christ, the Day of Atonement
reveals Reception by Christ and in the Feast of Tabernacles we see Rejoicing in Christ
both in the temporal present and the eternal future.
The sixth rule to constantly remember is that each type is an incomplete picture
because it utilises earthly rituals. For example the blood of beasts foreshadowed the
precious blood of our Saviour, yet it was a very faint shadow because their blood was
of no value where redemption was concerned. The true value is found in the blood of
Christ, which these beasts prefigured, not in the creatures themselves as Paul stated:

49
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.28
”
We ought not therefore to be concerned by the incomplete nature of the type because
it is only a type. Using this principle it possible therefore to teach that David, despite
his many sins, is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. I make mention of this fact because I
know this has caused God’s people much needless concern.
A seventh rule to bear in mind is that typology highlights the essential difference
between the Old and New Testament economies. In ancient times Jehovah taught the
people by the use of earthly images, which became unnecessary when the only
begotten Son came down from heaven. In the types therefore we observe the
workings of God, which differed chiefly because the Messiah had not yet arrived.
The Old Testament can then be summarised as the age of the type whereas the New
Testament is the age of the antitype.
Conversely in the eighth place typology also draws together the essential unity
between the Old and New Covenants. In ancient times the people needed God’s grace
provided through a High Priest who offered sacrifices that involved the shedding of
blood in order that Israel might enjoy access to God. These are essential gospel
doctrines, the only difference being they lived pre Calvary whereas we are in the post
Calvary era. Concerning this sacred unity Fairbairn wrote:
“However important is may be to note resemblances in the mode of communicating
divine truth, at one period as compared with another, it is more so to know that the
28
Hebrews 10:4

50
truth, however communicated, has been found one in its tendency and working; that
earlier and the later, the Old and New Testament Churches, though differing widely in
light and privilege, yet breathed the same spirit, walked by the same rule, possessed
and manifested the same elements of character. A correct acquaintance with the
Typology of Scripture alone explains how, with such palpable differences subsisting
between them, there should still have been such essential uniformity in the
result…Moses and Christ, when closely examined and viewed as the more
fundamental parts of their respective systems, are found to teach in perfect harmony
with each other. The law and the prophets of the Old Testament, and the gospels and
epistles of the New, exhibit but different phases of the same wondrous scheme of
grace. The light varies from time to time in its clearness and intensity, but never as to
the elements of which it is composed.”29
In the ninth instance we must remember as we ponder these types that there are
lessons we can learn about our salvation from the ancient Scriptures, which we would
not glean in any other place. This is mainly because these offerings and feasts were
earthly illustrations which taught certain truths which the people could grasp. The
blood and gore of the brazen altar cannot fail to take our eyes to Mount Calvary where
our beloved Saviour agonised on the altar of God’s wrath pouring out his life unto
death. A proper and prayerful consideration of these rites will, with the help of the
Holy Ghost, enable us to fall deeper into a loving relationship with Christ because by
earthly illustration we are shown what he gave for us.
29
T. & T, Clarke, Edinburgh, 1882. Page 210, 211.

51
The tenth consideration we ought to remember is that the types in Leviticus were acts
of worship. As the people gathered on the set days to commemorate the prescribed
feasts or as they approached the tabernacle with their offerings they were worshipping
Jehovah. We do not worship the Lord today through the use of these earthly symbols
because we enjoy the one symbolised, the Christ of God. Nevertheless we ought learn
from the attitude and reverence with which these ancient believers venerated the Lord.
While the ceremonies have passed into antiquity with the rending of the veil the
humble adoration of God in the heart of man remains. In fact we who enjoy the
Saviour, as these Hebrew worshippers did not, ought to have more fear, more
reverence, more reality and more adoration in our worship than they. As we gaze in
silence with the Jews upon the High Priest on the Day of Atonement entering the Holy
of Holies carrying the precious blood to sprinkle upon the mercy seat we ought to
weep because our Great High Priest has brought his blood, shed for our sins, within
the holy place made without hands in order that we might be redeemed. As we hear
with the ancient Jews the tinkling of the bells, fastened to the hem of the High Priests
robe of blue, testifying of a living mediator let us rejoice with joy unspeakable
because we enjoy a Saviour who was dead but now is alive and sustained by the
power of an endless life. As we look up with the congregation of Israel at the cloud,
the Shekinah glory of the presence of God, let us also fall down with awe and wonder
to think that he could ever be merciful to sinful wretches such as we are. In
interpreting these types we must pray that we would be taught in the art of worship
that the enjoyment of the Lord’s presence would be our refreshing and blessed
experience.

52
Another rule for interpreting these Levitical signs, in the eleventh place, is that we
must constantly employ New Testament light to illuminate the darkness of the
shadow. Patrick Fairbairn wrote on this point, “…we must be guided, not so much by
any knowledge possessed, or supposed to be possessed, by the ancient worshippers
concerning their prospective fulfilment, as from the light furnished by their realization
in the great facts and revelations of the gospel.”30
We know from our study of the
Book of Hebrews that the Jews did not fully understand the meaning of the
ceremonies in which they were engaged:
“The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made
manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:”31
Peter also stated concerned the ancient prophets:
“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand
the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”32
Therefore as the prophets did not comprehend the meaning of their prophecies but
constantly sought an interpretation so it would be consistent to argue that the same
would be true of the Levitical worshipper. After all, these types were in essence
prophecies not in word but in illustration. These signs enacted in the tabernacle, in a
30
31
Hebrews 9:8
32
1 Peter 1:10-11

53
very tangible sense, would be fulfilled in the ministry of Christ. These ceremonies
were, no doubt, helpful in strengthening the faith of God’s people and they did, I am
sure, perceive something of the grace of God in their worship. Nevertheless they did
not comprehend or see the full extent of Messiah’s redemption foretold through these
rites. Their knowledge therefore cannot be our yardstick. We require the light of
gospel to shine backwards through the pages and over the years so that we will see
Christ plainly in a way which, these ancient worshippers never could have. After
describing the characters of the heroes and heroines of the faith through Old
Testament history Paul concludes with these telling words:
“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect.”33
Therefore although they had a faith which pleased God they required the Christ who
would appear in the New Testament age to be made complete. In the ceremonies of
Leviticus we observe an incomplete faith but with the light of Christ these rites are
complete for us. Therefore we have the privilege of seeing more of redemption in the
offering and feasts than the ancient Jew enjoyed. In introducing his Epistle to the
Hebrews Paul plainly stated this important principle:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”34
33
Hebrews 11:39-40

54
Revelation, in ancient times, was incomplete because God spoke through prophets but
now we enjoy the revelation of Christ through Christ. Therefore under the New
Covenant the rites of Leviticus become complete. Therefore the reasons for studying
this Book, known by the Jews as the Law of the Priests, are accentuated.
The twelfth and final consideration I would like to introduce as we come to study
Leviticus is that we must not seek New Testament authority for the interpretation of
each Old Testament type. The Bible furnishes us with the general interpretation but it
is for the student to apply that general meaning to the particular type in question. The
truth is found in the scriptures but we must enquire and search for that truth using the
powers of reasoning and logic gifted to us and set part by the regenerating and the
infilling of the Spirit of God. An obvious parallel is found in the doctrine of the
trinity. Opponents of this truth deride it by claiming the word “Trinity” is not found
in the Bible. This of course is true but it is also equally true that by comparing
scripture with scripture we discover that there are three distinct persons in the
Godhead who are equal in power and glory. Likewise by careful and patient effort we
will discover scriptural warrant for the interpretation of each type even though there is
no specific meaning ascribed to each individual ceremony in the New Testament. The
general principles for unfolding the rites of Leviticus are found undoubtedly in the
Epistle to the Hebrews.
The High Priest constantly reveals Jesus Christ our Great High Priest.35
Therefore as
we view Aaron transacting his sacred duties we view various facets of our Saviour’s
work as the Great High Priest. Precisely which aspect of Christ’s ministry is before
34
Hebrews 1:1-2
35
Hebrews 3:1, 4:14-16, 7:24-28, 8:1-2.

55
us will depend upon the specific teaching within the context of each type. The
tabernacle teaches us concerning the work of God in procuring redemption for us.36
Various aspects of the tabernacle worship show us redemption from differing
standpoints. For example when the High Priest enters the Holy Place we see Christ
entering heaven and making intercession for us. Other hand we must deduce that
when Aaron sacrificed beasts upon the Brazen Altar we witness the Lord dying
publicly on Calvary. It is clear that the offering up of the beasts reveals Christ
sacrificing himself on the cross and the blood of those animals is a representation of
his precious blood.37
Furthermore, we must constantly remember that the High Priest
was the representative of Israel and as he laboured, God saw the Jewish people in him.
If he was accepted they were accepted and as he offered sacrifices they offered
sacrifices. The unity we enjoy with Christ is central to New Testament Christianity.
This is stated no more clearly than in Paul’s words to the Galatians:
“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.”38
As we come to examine these rites we see not only Christ and our redemption but we
also witness our essential unity to the Lord within his body. This in itself is food and
drink for the weary Christian traveller who makes his way to the celestial city; after
all, our Lord said, “Without me ye can do nothing.”39
36
Hebrews 9:1-11
37
Hebrews 9:12-14
38
Galatians 2:20
39
John 15:5

56
CHAPTER 3
THE BURNT OFFERING
Leviticus 1:2-17
I have already stated that in the five offerings we recognise various aspects of the
believer’s devotion to Christ. As the Burnt Offering comes first it is logical therefore
to conclude that in this rite we observe the basic step in the Christian’s devotion to the
Lord. This is indeed the case because through this sacrifice we will consider faith in
Christ. Faith is the primary expression of love, which is manifested first of all, in the
penitent cry for mercy from the lips of the newborn babe in Christ. Faith is the
fundamental reason why the children of the Lord persevere in prayer and godly living,
sometimes in the face of tremendous adversity. The Christian life is best summed up
by the use of this one word, which comprehends the totality of the believer’s
experience. This, the first step which the child of God takes also explains every other
step he will ever take in the pathway which winds upward to the city of light. The
vitality of faith as an essential prerequisite in the devotion of God’s people was
beautifully set forth by Saint Paul as he prayed for the believers as Ephesus:
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in
love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and
depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.”1
1
Ephesians 3:17-19

57
The Holy Ghost in this instance takes our minds to the love of Christ as he inspires
Paul to write of the dynamics of faith. In viewing the blood and gore of the burnt
offering our minds will be filled with the one who loved us as he bore our sins by
offering himself as the perfect sacrifice.
It is important to remember as we consider not only the Burnt Offering but also the
Meat and Peace Offerings, that these three belong together. All three formed part of
the daily sacrifice, which was presented at the Brazen Altar twice daily, in the
morning and the evening. The Sin and Trespass Offerings, on the other hand, were
presented on certain occasions as defined by God. The three lessons that we will
draw from the daily sacrifice will focus our minds on three aspects of Christian
devotion, which are interdependent. At the Burnt Offering we will exercise faith, in
the Meat Offering we shall follow the Lord and through the Peace Offering we will
fellowship with him. As the Peace Offering and the Meat Offering over laid the Burnt
Offering so our following Christ and our fellowship with the Lord are consequences
of our faith. If there is no faith we will have no one to follow and if we are not
following there will be no fellowship. The devotional experiences taught in the daily
sacrifice are so interlinked that to be without one is to be without meaningful
Christianity. Those who know the Lord ought to be constantly seeking the will of
God for their lives. The Christian life is ever striving to know more of the ways of
God in order that there would be conformity to the Lord Jesus. Here in the annals of
Old Testament history God presents to his people in every age the full complement of
Christianity. What does the Lord my Saviour require of me? That I may exercise
faith, that I might follow on to live for him and that I might enjoy fellowship with him
through the Holy Ghost. As these three sacrifices were offered twice daily so these

58
aspects of devotion should be every present in my life and in the lives of every
professor if we are to know God’s blessing upon our witness. Let us now think about
the first rung of the ladder, the first stone in the building and the first step on the road
to heaven; the Burnt Offering depicting our faith in Christ.
Firstly, I wish to examine the price of the Burnt Offering. There were three kinds of
animals which were permitted as sacrifices for this rite; bullocks, sheep or goats and
turtledoves or young pigeons. The obvious reason for this is that all classes of people
might be accommodated. The rich could afford to take from the herd, the middle
classes were able to take from the flock but the poor who owned no beast were not
denied access to the blessings of the offering because Jehovah in grace was willing to
accept a simple fowl. While the beasts as a means of access have disappeared, the
Lord remains as the one who provides redemption to people from all classes whether
rich or poor. The church needs to remember this fact in its fellowship and outreach.
In this affluent age as churches have become richer they must never give the
impression that they are associated with a certain social class. Those with lesser
means ought not to be despised and should be as able to gain office in the church as
the rich, if they possess the spiritual qualifications. Certainly the church should be
equally welcoming to all regardless of their career, education and social standing
because the church ought to have the spirit of the one who permitted the bullock, the
sheep and the pigeon to be used to worship.
While three different kinds of animals could be employed, all three had common
denominators. The bullock and the sheep or goats had to be male. Andrew Bonar in
his inspirational work on Leviticus said that these beasts were male “representing the

59
second Adam”.2
Although Eve first ate the forbidden fruit culpability rested with
Adam as the head of the woman. Therefore Original Sin, in the scriptures, is
consistently referred to as Adam’s transgression. It is perfectly logical, then that the
redeemer of men must be a man if the one who fell was also a man.
These beasts had also to be males “without blemish”. The animals selected were the
choice of the flock. The same concept is in view where the young pigeon or the
turtledove is concerned; it was to be a young bird. It was no small act for the Jew to
present these creatures as they represented considerable worth. We must remember
that in Bible lands meat was not eaten with the regularity that it is today. The
scriptures would indicate that the killing of the fatted calf was reserved for special
occasions as in the case of the Prodigal’s return. When God offered his Son on
Calvary he sacrificed the best and the purest that heaven had to offer. We must never
underestimate the cost that was involved when God the Father offered his only
begotten Son for our salvation; “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how he shall not with him also freely give us all things”.3
The choice of the particular beasts is also full of instruction where the person of Christ
is concerned. The bullock as the creature of service reveals the Saviour who was
constant in his devotion to the Father’s will; “I must work the works of him that sent
me: while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”4
Andrew Jukes
believed that this was the view of Christ that the saints neglected most:
2
Commentary on Leviticus, Bonar, Andrew, Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1966. Page 13.
3
Romans 8:32
4
John 9:4

60
“Comparatively few, I believe, see Christ in the first class,-the patient unwearied
labourer for others. The lamb, the goat, the turtledove are all more familiar symbols.
The fact is, we need to be ourselves in service, and to know practically something of
its toil and trial, before we can at all rightly estimate the aspect of Christ’s offering
which is presented in the emblem of the bullock. The Gospel’s, however, are full of
this view of the Burnt Offering: in fact, one whole Gospel is specially devoted to it.
In Mark, Jesus is not brought before us as in the other Gospels, either as the Son of
Abraham, Son of Adam, or Son of God; He stands rather,-as another has observed,-
the patient, untiring labourer for others. In Mark, turn where we will, we will, we see
Jesus always ‘the girded servant’; always at the disposal of others, to spend and to be
spent at his bidding. Thus when, after days of ceaseless labour, He retires alone for
prayer or rest with His disciples, no sooner do the multitude disturb Him than He at
once goes with them, or rises to minister to their need (Mark 1:35-38, 6:30-45). So
entirely does He give Himself to His work that ‘he had no leisure so much as to eat’
(Mark 3:20, 6:31); but He had meat to eat which the world saw not: ‘His meat was to
do His Father’s will’ (John 4:31-34). And oh, what touches of grace are there in all
His service! He not only cures the blind, but ‘He takes him by the hand’ (Mark 8:23).
He not only raises the dead: His mission in that house ends not till with careful
foresight, ‘He commands them to give her meat’ (Mark 5:43). Blessed Lord, show us
more of Thy footsteps, that, while we rejoice in Thy work, we may learn to follow
Thee.”5
The lamb conveys the thought of passive submission, which was a prominent
characteristic of Christ’s passion; “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and a sheep
5
The Law of the Offerings, Jukes, Andrew, Kregel Publications, 1966. Page 69-70.

61
before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”5
The dove is characterised
by innocence because our Lord himself said, “Be harmless as doves”.6
Our Saviour is
described as “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners…”.7
Again, Jukes
brought these three classes of creature together with the comment:
“Here then, are some of the measures of apprehension with which the sacrifice of
Jesus as Burnt-Offering may be regarded; for a saint may see either His devoted
labour, His uncomplaining submission, or His mourning innocence. All these are
equally true, all equally precious, all equally acceptable…”
It is intriguing that of all the beasts offered, only the lamb was to be sacrificed at the
north side of the Brazen Altar. John Gill, that notable expert of Jewish writings and
customs, conjectures:
“Aben Ezra intimates, as if some respect was had to the situation of Mount Zion; his
note is, ‘on the side of the altar northward’, i.e. without, and so "the sides of the
north", Psa_48:2 for so many mistake who say that the tower of Zion was in the midst
of Jerusalem; and with this agrees Mr. Ainsworth's note on Lev_6:25 hereby was
figured, that Christ our sin offering should be killed by the priests in Jerusalem, and
Mount Sion, which was on ‘the sides of the north’, Psa_48:2 crucified on Mount
Calvary, which was on the northwest side of Jerusalem; as by the Jews' tradition, the
morning sacrifice was killed at the northwest horn of the altar”9
.
6
Isaiah 53:7
7
Matthew 10:16
8
Hebrews 7:26
9
Esword Commentary, downloaded from esword.net.

THE LEVITICAL FEASTS AND OFFERINGS

THE LEVITICAL FEASTS AND OFFERINGS

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THE LEVITICAL FEASTS AND OFFERINGS