Leviticus 1:10, commentary and pictures

A burnt offering taken from the flocks had to be a sheep or a goat, a male with no defect, a clean and sound animal. The sinner brought it to the tabernacle, laid a hand on its head to transfer sin to the substitute, and it was slain in his place while the priest carried its life-blood bearing the guilt into the sanctuary. Its life paid the penalty the transgressor deserved, showing that sin demanded death and could be set forth only by the giving of life. It was a shadow pointing to Jesus Christ, the great Sacrifice who bore human sin to free men from its bondage, and to His once-for-all ministry as High Priest in the heavenly temple. Offered in faith it represented the penitent's surrender of all his powers to God after confessing sin, and provision was made for rich and poor alike to bring an offering because all had sinned.

The Flock Offering Ritual

A burnt offering taken from the flocks had to be a sheep or a goat, and it had to be a male without blemish, meaning a clean, healthy, sound animal with no defect. Its instructions followed the same pattern as the offering from the herd. Together with the other offerings in Leviticus 1 this flock offering is linked to Abraham's sacrifice.

The flock animal for the burnt offering was slaughtered in the court, on the north side of the altar of burnt offering. That altar stood before the door of the tabernacle of meeting and was first reached on entering through the door into the court.

The instruction belongs to the individual offerings described in Leviticus 1 to 7, with their offerings and priestly ministry. It provided the especial work for individuals as they presented their particular offerings during the year, belonging to the first grand division of the ministration of the earthly sanctuary, the daily service in the holy place. That daily service stood alongside the regular morning and evening burnt offering, the burning of sweet incense when the lamps were lighted morning and evening, and the special work upon the Lord's Sabbaths, annual sabbaths, new moons, and feasts, and was distinct from the second division, the yearly work in the most holy place for the sins of the people and for the cleansing of the sanctuary. With the daily national ministration and the yearly cleansing it formed one entire yearly round of constant offering of beasts in which remembrance of sin was made.

In the ritual the sinner brought the victim to the tabernacle, to the entrance of the sanctuary and to the altar, and laid a hand on its head to signify the transfer of sin to the substitute. The victim was then slain in the sinner's place because of the transgression. The priest carried some of its blood, which represented life and bore the sin and guilt, into the sanctuary and sprinkled it there, so the sin was represented as transferred from the sinner to the victim and then from the victim to the sanctuary.

The offering depended on the sinner's confession over the victim, with the hand laid on the animal's head confessing sins and representing their transfer to the animal as substitute, and it depended on sacrifice and priestly ministry. Before atonement could be made any loss caused to another person had to be made right by restitution, after which through the blood ritual in the Holy Place and at the altar of incense the priest made atonement and the sin was forgiven, while the carcass was burned outside the camp in a clean place.

The law of burnt offerings made sacrifice possible for people of different means, so those unable to bring the more costly animals could bring a less expensive offering, and the poorest could bring meal or fine flour. In this way the service was made accessible even to the poor, while everyone had to bring something because everyone had sinned.

The requirement of an animal from the flock rather than fruit of the ground was first given to the family of Adam immediately after the fall, long before it was given to Israel in Leviticus 1:1-17. Abel's offering matched it in every respect because he obeyed, and God accepted him, while Cain's offering of fruit broke it, so God rejected him. God accepts nothing but obedience and rejects only disobedience, and sin is the transgression of the law.

The rule specifying a male sheep or goat stands in contrast to cows sacrificed in Samuel's time, which were contrary to the law.

The flesh the priests were allowed to eat came only from young, healthy animals without blemish and without fat, since all fat was to be burned to the Lord and eating fat was prohibited. They had no part of the real burnt offerings and no meat of any beasts whose blood was carried into the sanctuary, so what they ate was quite limited, only small amounts of lean meat of healthy young animals, not fat meat, diseased meat, or swine's flesh swimming in grease. This confirms that diseased and fat meat is unwholesome and unfitted for feeble men and women of this age.

Its Meaning and Fulfillment

The life of the flock victim paid the penalty for the transgressor as his substitute, the animal being slain in the sinner's place after the sinner brought it to the tabernacle, laid a hand on its head to signify the transfer of sin, and confessed the sin over it. Its death acknowledged that the sinner deserved death under the law, while its blood, representing life and bearing the guilt, was carried by the priest into the sanctuary and sprinkled there, so that sin was represented as transferred from the sinner to the victim and then to the sanctuary. The offering thus pictured a life given for the transgressor and depended on confession, sacrifice, and priestly ministry for the penitent, and it showed that sin demanded its penalty. Every Levitical offering having to do with atonement had to be an animal, whether sheep or goats and in this case a male, so that the giving up of life in behalf of the sinner could be set forth in type. The burnt offering from the flock followed the same pattern as the offering from the herd and represented the sinner's surrender of all the powers of his being to God after confessing sin.

The rule requiring a male sheep or goat without blemish and with no defect shows God's hatred of sin. Together with the other offerings in Leviticus 1 and linked to Abraham's sacrifice, the flock burnt offering represents Christ, the great Sacrifice who bore human sin and brings freedom from the bondage of sin. It is a shadow and type pointing to the great substance found in Jesus Christ, belonging to the instructions in Leviticus 1-7 regulating the Levitical priesthood and its offerings. The service described in Leviticus 1 to 7, 16 and 23 centers the worship of the true God by divine appointment, reveals God's way and His power and glory, and stands as an impressive object-lesson teaching in type about God's temple in heaven and Christ's priestly service there. That earthly sanctuary was a pattern of the heavenly, and its service was the example and shadow of Christ's more excellent, once-for-all ministry in the true tabernacle as High Priest and Minister of the heavenly sanctuary. Like all Scripture it was not written in vain or without purpose but is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, and was written for learning that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures hope may be had.

When offered in faith the individual offerings represented the transfer of the penitent's sins to the sanctuary through the sacrifice's blood and the priest's service. They belonged to the first general ministry connected with the earthly sanctuary, the ministry of individuals who came burdened with sins bringing their offerings and showing their faith in the Redeemer to come. They formed part of the constant offering of beasts in which continual remembrance of sin was made in the sanctuary, forming with the daily national ministration and the yearly cleansing one entire yearly round, all looking forward to a future antitype. The provision for individuals presenting their particular offerings during the year belongs to the first grand division of the ministration of the earthly sanctuary, the daily service in the holy place alongside the regular morning and evening burnt offering, the burning of sweet incense when the lamps are lighted morning and evening, and the special work upon the Lord's Sabbaths, annual sabbaths, new moons, and feasts, distinct from the second division, the yearly work in the most holy place for the sins of the people and for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The verse belongs to the Levitical law given to the children of Israel, distinct from the law of God which is absolute and perpetual, holy, just and good, and that Levitical law was abolished by Christ. That Levitical law was written on stones, placed in the ark, read every seven years, to be copied by the king, and publicly read by Joshua and by Ezra.