Leviticus 1:17
And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
The verse describes the burnt offering of a bird, which was to be cleft with its wings without being divided into separate pieces, and then burned by the priest upon the wood on the altar fire. The offerer brought a clean, unblemished victim and laid a hand upon its head while confessing sin, so that guilt was transferred to the substitute slain in his place and its blood stood for its life given as the penalty for sin. As part of the earthly sanctuary service it was a pattern and shadow of Christ's ministry as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, with each sacrifice pointing in type to His work as the great Sacrifice who takes away sin. The burnt offerings were brought in faith in the coming Redeemer and portray worship and complete consecration. The bird left cleft but undivided represents the sinner's willing and permanent separation from former sinful ways, companions and pleasures, with the whole self and past life placed in Christ's hands for service wherever He chooses.
Offering's Ritual and Setting
Leviticus 1 to 4 sets forth five kinds of offerings — burnt, meal, peace, sin, trespass — each with its own purpose and manner to be clearly defined, and this verse describes the burnt offering among them. For the bird burnt offering the body was cleft open with its wings yet not divided asunder into separate pieces, and the priest burned it upon the altar upon the wood that was upon the fire. The rule kept the bird whole while opened, in contrast to the divided animals, yet together with them it formed part of the sacrifice.
The offering was brought by the individual sinner, who provided a clean, unblemished victim and laid a hand upon its head while confessing sin, signifying transfer of sin and acceptance of the animal as a substitute slain in the sinner's place. Its death acknowledged the sinner's guilt and represented the penalty due for sin, while its blood represented life. Through confession, sacrifice, and priestly ministry the confessed sin was represented as transferred from the sinner to the victim and then onward from the victim toward the sanctuary.
The priest carried some of the blood into the sanctuary and sprinkled it before the Lord, before the veil, upon the altar before the ark, so that the forgiven sins were left there in figure as transferred from sinner and victim to the sanctuary. In some offerings where the blood was not brought inside, the priest ate the flesh in the holy place, and that eating was the means by which the transfer was made. Thus whether by blood brought in or by flesh eaten in the holy place, the sin was conveyed in figure into the sanctuary and left there.
The verse belongs to the individual, particular offerings presented during the year in Leviticus 1 to 7, which regulated the priesthood of the tribe of Levi and were appointed since the days of Moses. These form the first grand division of the earthly ministration, the continual daily service in the holy place, alongside the regular morning and evening burnt offering, the burning of sweet incense on the golden altar, and the special work on the Lord's Sabbaths, annual sabbaths, new moons and feasts, distinct from the second grand division, the yearly work in the most holy place for the sins of the people and for cleansing the sanctuary. This transferring work went on through the year until the tenth day of the seventh month, when the high priest cleansed the sanctuary of those accumulated sins, completing a yearly round. The same instructions for burnt offerings given in Leviticus 1:1-17 had been given to Adam's family immediately after the fall.
Type of Christ's Ministry
The offering belongs to the earthly sanctuary and its service, which was appointed as pattern and shadow and type and impressive object-lesson of the heavenly sanctuary and of Christ's more excellent ministry in the true tabernacle as High Priest and Minister of the sanctuary. It formed part of a service requiring confession, sacrifice, and priestly ministry, in which the sinner brought a victim, confessed sin over it, had it offered in his place, and had its blood used by the priest for the penitent so that confessed sin was transferred from sinner to sanctuary. The victim's death represented the penalty for sin, the laying of the hand on its head signified transfer of sin, and the carrying of its blood into the sanctuary transferred the sin there as a type of Christ's sacrifice and heavenly ministry. Study of this earthly service gives clearer views of the Saviour and His work for men and reveals God's way and power and glory, and its instruction is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, written for learning to give patience and comfort and hope. As the especial work for individuals presenting their particular offerings during the year, it belonged to the first grand division of the earthly ministration, the daily service in the holy place with the regular morning and evening burnt offering, the burning of sweet incense on the golden altar, and the special work on Sabbaths, annual sabbaths, new moons, and feasts, distinct from the second grand division, the yearly work in the most holy place for cleansing the sanctuary, and that whole ministration was the example and shadow of Christ's ministry in heaven.
The yearly round of services in the typical sanctuary portrayed Christ's once-for-all ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. The individual offerings of the first seven chapters of Leviticus, when offered in faith by the sinner together with the daily offering, transferred in figure through the blood of the sacrifice or the person of the priest the sins of the penitent to the sanctuary, and when the priest sprinkled the blood upon the altar before the ark he left there in figure the forgiven sins of God's people. This transferring work went on through the year until the tenth day of the seventh month, when the high priest cleansed the sanctuary of those accumulated sins, completing a round of service typical of Christ's entire priesthood.
Each of the sacrifices in Leviticus 1-8 points in type to the work of Jesus Christ. The directions in chapters 1 to 7 concerning the various offerings regulated the priesthood of the tribe of Levi, and the burnt sacrifice shows God's hatred of sin and that sin demanded its penalty, as a type and shadow of the great substance which is in Jesus Christ. The bird offered as a burnt sacrifice was split open at the wings but not divided into separate pieces, and was burned on the altar over the wood and fire, and alongside the divided animals this undivided bird formed part of a sacrifice understood to represent Christ, the great Sacrifice who brings freedom from sin.
The individual offerings were to be brought in faith in the coming Redeemer. The burnt offerings expressed the offerers' faith in the One who would take away sin.
Worship and Consecration
The burnt offerings portray worship, and the offerings in Leviticus are associated with worship, while the types in Exodus point largely to redemption. The same instructions for burnt offerings were given to Adam's family immediately after the fall, and Abel's offering matched them in every respect because he brought a lamb as commanded and was accepted. Cain's offering of the fruit of the ground disobeyed them because fruit was not commanded for the offering, and he was rejected. God accepts nothing but obedience and rejects only disobedience, and Cain's disobedience was sin because sin is transgression of the law.
The cleaving of the wings without dividing the bird completely represents a sinner's willing, lasting and permanent separation from former sinful associations, pleasures, ways and companions. The severing is complete so that the person no longer shares their paths, and like the bird can no longer follow the old path. The bird's offering illustrates complete consecration, with the past life and the whole self placed at Christ's disposal and in Christ's hands for service wherever He chooses. That willing service does not make food or clothing the first concern, but lets Christ use the redeemed life wherever He chooses.
The instruction belongs to Leviticus 1-7, which describes the main features of the service of the sanctuary appointed since the days of Moses for the worship of the true God. It was not written in vain or without purpose, but is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect. It was written for learning, to give patience and comfort and hope.