LeFebvre / Ortlund Leviticus

A 12-Week Study
1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4335-4799-7
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 96 Seiten

Reihe: Knowing the Bible

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) 'Gospel Glimpses' highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) 'Whole-Bible Connections' show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) 'Theological Soundings' identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. The book of Leviticus can be challenging for contemporary readers, but it has an important message for the modern church. Indeed, the laws outlined in this book are more than just archaic rules. Rather, they reveal the holiness of God and the forgiveness he offers to all who sincerely repent. In this accessible study, pastor Michael LeFebvre helps readers understand how the rituals in the Old Testament law point to Christ's work of atonement at the cross-highlighting the riches of the gospel for Christians today.

Michael LeFebvre (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is an ordained Presbyterian minister and an Old Testament scholar. He is also a fellow with the Center for Pastor Theologians. Michael and his wife, Heather, have five children and live in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lefebvre, Michael

Ortlund, Dane

Leseproben

WEEK 2: OFFERING THE SACRIFICES

Leviticus 1:1–6:7

The Place of the Passage

Leviticus begins with sacrifice instructions. There were five kinds of sacrifices used in Old Testament worship: burnt offerings (1:1–17), grain offerings (2:1–16), peace offerings (3:1–17), sin offerings (4:1–5:13), and guilt offerings (5:14–6:7). These offerings were all part of a process called “making atonement” (note the repetition of that phrase throughout this passage). The process of atonement is too rich for just one kind of sacrifice to represent it, so Leviticus appoints five sacrifice rituals to express different aspects of the singular work of atonement.

The Big Picture

The people of Israel are able to enter God’s presence because of the thorough system of atonement he put in place.

Reflection and Discussion

Read each of the five sacrifice sections one at a time, using the provided questions to guide your reflection after each reading.

Burnt Offerings (1:1–17)

For this offering, the entire sacrifice was burned as a “food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (vv. 9, 13, 17). God does not literally consume food (Ps. 50:13), but this sacrifice uses a common human experience to portray God’s pleasure. How does the “pleasing aroma” of cooking food help you identify with the pleasure of God in this sacrifice?

The burnt offering instructions are repeated three times, for those who bring cattle (Lev. 1:3–9), sheep or goats (vv. 10–13), and birds (vv. 14–17). What does this sequence indicate about the economic conditions in Hebrew society and equal access for all to the atonement?

Grain Offerings (2:1–16)

This is the only offering that does not involve blood, hence its traditional title “grain offering.” Its Hebrew title, however, is minhah, which means “tribute.” What do you think it means to bring a tribute offering (minhah) to the heavenly King upon entering his house? (Compare 1 Sam. 10:27, where the men of Israel refused to bring such a “present” [minhah] to King Saul.)

Peace Offerings (3:1–17)

The burnt offering was wholly burned on the altar. The grain offering was partially burned and partially eaten by priests. The peace offering is the only sacrifice from which the offerer himself ate a portion. This was done in the presence of God, who also received a portion on the altar (see 7:11–36). What is the significance of calling this a peace1 offering? (Compare Gen. 31:44–46.)

The previous three offerings were marked by the repeated phrase, “It shall be a food offering to the LORD.” The final two sacrifice categories feature the repeated phrase, “He shall be forgiven” (Lev. 4:26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7). All five sacrifices are about sin and its forgiveness,2 but the first three use meal imagery to emphasize communion with God restored by sacrifice, while the last two emphasize sin’s removal through sacrifice.

Sin Offerings (4:1–5:13)

The sin offering treats sacrificial blood like a detergent that washes the “stains” of human sin from God’s presence. It is the offensiveness of sin against God—and its removal—that this offering teaches. Look at the following verses and note how different categories of sin penetrate more deeply into God’s house. What do you think about different sins causing different degrees of offense against God: a priest’s sin or congregation-wide sin (4:5–7, 16–18); a ruler’s or an individual’s sin (4:25, 30)?

Old Testament law distinguished “unintentional” sins from “high-handed” (or deliberate) sins (see Num. 15:22–31). The sin offering removed the offense of unintentional sins (4:2, 13, 22, 27; cf., 5:14, 18). High-handed sins could also be cleansed, but only by the intercession of the high priest on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:16, 21). What does the distinction between unintentional and high-handed sin suggest about God’s perspective on sin? Many think that sins incur guilt only when committed intentionally; what does it imply about the true human condition that so much provision was made even for “unintentional” sins?

Guilt Offerings (5:14–6:7)

This class of offering was to repair the economic damage that sins often cause. Sin can bring loss to God’s house (5:14–19) or to a neighbor (6:1–7). In Old Testament law, a person who concealed theft and was caught had to pay double or even fivefold restitution (Ex. 22:1, 4). But in this text we learn that one who confessed his sin voluntarily, restored the loss, and brought a guilt offering paid only an added fifth in penalty (Lev. 6:5). Notably, one-fifth (or 20 percent) was a typical interest rate on loans in the ancient world. What does this indicate about God’s attitude toward those who repent3 voluntarily versus those who must be confronted about their sins?

Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to consider the Personal Implications these sections may have for you.

Gospel Glimpses

ACCEPTED. The opening verses of Leviticus introduce its gospel orientation: “When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD [lit., draws near to the LORD with an offering], . . . he shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord” (Lev. 1:2–3). What a marvelous privilege it is to be invited to draw near to God and to approach him with the promise of acceptance!

LAMB OF GOD. Early in Israel’s history, God taught Abraham about the sacrifice that would ultimately atone for sin. God took Abraham to the mountain where the temple would later be built (Gen. 22:2; 2 Chron. 3:1). There he was told to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, the heir of the promised kingdom. However, before Abraham could carry through with that daunting command, God gave a ram as a substitute for Isaac. By that exchange, God taught that every animal offered at his sanctuary foreshadowed an heir greater than Isaac who would one day become the true sacrifice. Thus the author of Genesis closes that story with the statement, “So . . . it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it [or “he”] shall be provided’” (Gen. 22:14). When the book of Genesis was composed, the people of God were still looking forward to the promised heir who would fulfill the sacrifice represented by all the animal offerings on the sanctuary altar. The Psalms and the Prophets also express this hope in the Coming One’s sacrifice: see especially Psalm 16:8–11 (compare Acts 2:25–28); Psalm 22:1–31 (compare Matt. 27:46); Psalm 40:6–8 (compare Heb. 10:5–10); and Isaiah 53:1–12 (compare Acts 8:32–35). Although some in ancient Israel trusted the animal sacrifices themselves as the literal payment for their forgiveness (Ps. 50:7–15; Isa. 1:11), the true purpose of the sacrifices was always to point ahead to the sacrifice of Christ.

Whole-Bible Connections

COMMUNION. The peace offering involved five steps: presentation of a spotless offering (Lev. 3:1, 6); laying hands on the sacrifice (3:2, 7–8, 13); slaughter (3:2, 8, 13); offering a portion to God (3:3–5, 9–11, 14–16); and eating a portion in God’s house (7:11–36). In the New Testament, Jesus sat with his disciples at a peace offering meal (Luke 22:7–23) and revealed that he is the true sacrifice who provides for our communion at the Lord’s Table. Therefore, Jesus instructed his disciples to eat a simplified peace offering meal “in remembrance of me.” Now, instead of bringing an animal sacrifice, Christians approach the communion table by remembering Christ with repentance in his name (1 Cor. 11:17–34).

Theological Soundings

SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT. Each time an animal sacrifice was brought to the altar, the offerer would “lay his hand on [its] head . . . and it [was] accepted for him” (Lev. 1:4; also, 3:2, 8, 13; 4:4, 15, 24, 29, 33). The ritual act of pressing one’s hand on the head of the offering was an act of transfer, identifying the animal as a substitute to take the presenter’s place in the ritual to follow. This action was often accompanied with a verbal confession of sins over the animal (16:21). These Old Testament ritual acts provide the backdrop for the reality that the sinless Christ became a substitute for sinners.

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