Leviticus 1:12, commentary and pictures

Leviticus 1:12 lays down the handling of the burnt offering of a sheep or goat, that it is to be cut into its pieces with the head and the fat, and the priest is to lay them in order on the wood on the fire upon the altar. It belongs to the daily individual work where a sinner brought an unblemished clean animal to the door of the tabernacle, laid a hand on its head in confession to transfer his sin, and killed it as acknowledging he deserved death. The victim stood in the sinner's place as his substitute, bearing his guilt and dying his death for the transgression. Through the priestly service its blood was carried in and sprinkled before the veil, so that sins confessed in faith were transferred to and accumulated in the sanctuary until its cleansing on the tenth day of the seventh month. Offered voluntarily in faith in the Redeemer to come, the offering surrendered all to God and was accepted to make atonement and free from the bondage of sin. The whole yearly round with its offerings was a type and shadow of the ministry of Jesus Christ as the great Sacrifice and High Priest of the true tabernacle in heaven, given for doctrine and instruction that men might have clearer views of the Saviour and His work.

Ritual Procedure and Setting

The handling prescribed is that of the burnt offering of a sheep or goat, which was cut into its pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest laid them in order on the wood that was on the fire upon the altar. The divided pieces were arranged over against each other on the altar as part of Israel's sacrificial rule. This belongs to the book concerning the tribe of Levi regulating the priesthood and its offerings, as one of the special instructions and directions in Leviticus 1-7 concerning the various offerings, continued in chapter 8. It describes the ministry of the priests in the earthly sanctuary with its two apartments, the holy place and the most holy.

It is part of the especial work for individuals presenting their particular offerings during the year for sin in Leviticus 1-7. That work is 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 were lighted morning and evening, and the special work on the Lord's Sabbaths, annual sabbaths, new moons, and feasts. That service belonged to the yearly round of ceremonies.

When a person had sinned he brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle to the priest. He brought an unblemished clean animal as a substitute, laid a hand upon its head to confess his sin upon it and symbolically transfer sin to it, and took its life, acknowledging that he deserved death because of the transgression. Its blood represented its life.

The law of sacrifice provided offerings suited to a person's means, so that the wealthy could bring costly animals while even the poorest could bring a less costly offering, yet everyone had to bring something because everyone had sinned. The instructions for burnt offerings in Leviticus 1:1-17 are matched in all respects by Abel's offering, showing that the same instructions had been given to Adam's family immediately after the fall. Abel was accepted for obedience and Cain was rejected for disobedience, because Cain transgressed that law by bringing an offering of the fruit of the ground which had not been commanded instead of the required lamb.

Substitute Atonement and Fulfillment

The victim stood in the sinner's place as a substitute that bore the sinner's guilt, and its death represented the sinner's death for the transgression. The sinner confessed over it and laid a hand upon its head to confess and symbolically transfer sin, then killed the unblemished clean animal brought to the door of the tabernacle, acknowledging that he deserved death, with its blood representing its life. Laying the hand on its head signified the transfer of sin to the victim, which was then slain, and its blood was carried into the sanctuary by the priest in ministry for the penitent.

Through the prescribed priestly service the priest carried the blood into the sanctuary and sprinkled it before the veil, figuring the transfer of sin from the sinner to the victim and then through the blood to the sanctuary. When the offering was made in faith, the penitent's forgiven sins were thus transferred to and accumulated continually in the sanctuary through the year. There they remained until the cleansing of the sanctuary on the tenth day of the seventh month.

The offering followed confession of sin and was offered voluntarily by individuals burdened with sins to show faith in the Redeemer to come. It represented surrendering all one's powers to God and was accepted to make atonement. It gives freedom from the bondage of sin, while showing God's hatred of sin and that sin demanded its penalty. The divided arrangement of the pieces over against each other had significance as part of Israel's sacrificial rule.

The sacrifices in Leviticus 1-8 each teach something in type about the work of Jesus Christ as the great Sacrifice and substance. The offering described is a type and shadow of the great substance found in the Lord Jesus Christ and served as a type of Christ's sacrifice. That service belonged to the yearly round of ceremonies, which typified Christ's priestly ministry and was fulfilled in His once-for-all service as High Priest and Minister of the true tabernacle in heaven. The especial work for individuals presenting their particular offerings during the year in Leviticus 1-7 is part of the first grand division of the ministration of the earthly sanctuary, the daily service in the holy place, and that whole ministration was the example and shadow of Christ's more excellent ministry in the true tabernacle.

As part of the earthly sanctuary and its service, the description is a pattern, shadow, type, and object-lesson to teach concerning the temple of God in heaven and Christ's priestly service therein as High Priest and Minister of the heavenly sanctuary. Together with the instructions for building the sanctuary, the description in Leviticus 1-7 of the main features of the service reveals God's way, power, and glory in the sanctuary. 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 men might have hope, so studying it gives clearer views of the Saviour and His work in behalf of men.