The Five Offerings Of Leviticus1-7 A Chart And Brief Outline

1. The Burnt Offering
Here we have the highest aspect of the work of Christ where He is seen offering Himself up entirely to God, to do His will even unto death. The whole offering, except the skin of the animal, was burned upon the altar and all went up to God as a sweet savor or aroma. It pictures Christ who gave Himself as “a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Eph. 5:2). Christ is not seen here as bearing our sins, but as accomplishing the Father’s will, glorifying Him and vindicating the holiness and majesty of His throne. This theme is especially prominent in John’s gospel and Psalm 40.

2. The Meal Offering
This offering typifies Christ as the perfect, sinless man and presents to us His wonderful person and spotless life, which was ever an offering of a sweet savor to God. There was no shedding of blood in this offering, so it speaks of the perfections of Christ’s person and life rather than of His death. The fine flour pictures His sinless humanity with its evenness of moral qualities; the oil speaks of the grace and power of the Holy Spirit which characterized His life; and the frankincense is emblematic of the sweetness and fragrance of His person and life.

3. The Peace Offering
This was also an offering of a sweet savor to God. The blood, the fat and the kidneys of the offering were put upon the altar as “the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD” (Lev. 3:11). This was God’s part. Then the breast was given to Aaron and his sons and the right shoulder to the offering priest. This was man’s part. Thus God and man both fed on the same offering which speaks of communion and fellowship – typifying the communion which the believer in Christ enjoys with God on the ground of the work of Christ at the cross and His blood shed there for our sins. We are at peace with God through the work of the cross and can feed upon Christ in fellowship with the Father. Luke’s gospel and Psalm 85 especially present this theme.

4. The Sin Offering
We come now to the non-sweet savor offerings. The special feature of this offering is in the whole bullock being burned upon the ground outside the camp of Israel, after the blood and fat were put upon the altar for God. This offering was for sin and pictures Christ who was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), enduring the judgment and wrath of God against sin as our substitute. The holiness of God and the awfulness of sin are brought out in the bullock being entirely burned up outside the camp. This offering pictures Christ, forsaken of God as our sin-bearer, as given in Psalm 22 and Mark’s gospel.

5. The Trespass Offering
Here sin is looked at as a trespass against the government of God. Amends had to be made for the wrong done and the fifth part added to it. Atonement was made by the blood of the offering, and the trespasser was forgiven. This offering presents Christ who has died for our sins and trespasses on the cross and restored that which He took not away (Ps. 69:4). He has not only answered to God for our sins and paid our debt by His shed blood, but has added the fifth part, as it were, bringing more glory to God and blessings to man than were had before sin was committed. This is the first view the sinner gets of the cross of Christ. Psalm 69 and Matthew’s gospel present this aspect of the offering of Christ.

By Raymond K. Campbell