Leviticus 8

“Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water…Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days.”  vv.6,33

Read chapter 8.

This chapter describes the ordination of Aaron and his sons.  Aaron and his sons who were all to become the high priest are washed with water to signify the cleansing and purification of sins to minister before the Lord, just was we are washed by the blood of Jesus to draw near to Him (Hebrews 10:22).   This ordination lasted seven days and the offerings were to be done each of the seven days.  There were not to leave the Tent of Meeting during this time to go about other work or rest but fully devoted to this position and consecration they were taking on.  Just like some feasts lasted a week so this ordination.  This wasn't seven times to be complete but a continual building to that completion through the week to be ordained.  Just like Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ," where Christ began a good work in us and at the commemoration of the day of Jesus when He returns to make us complete, so the Lord made sure the full work was done to Aaron and his four sons at the commemoration of them as priest to minister to the people.  

Have you let Christ blood wash you that you may go directly to Him?  Has the good work begun in you?  What completion in yourself do you wait and long for?

Leviticus 7

"This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the Lord:...the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.  But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten;  the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire."  vv.11, 15-17

Read chapter 7.
The peace offering is the last offerings mentioned after dealing with the sin offerings.  Perhaps to show the repentance and forgiveness must come first before true union with God.  The peace offering was like a shared meal with the priests, the offerer and God.  Certain parts were for the priests, the thigh and the breast and unleavened cake, for the offerer and his family, the meat and leavened bread, and for God, the fat.  There is a time limit set for when all of the offering must be eaten.  This could be due to no spoiling and causing uncleanness, also to not save for a banquet or other type of meal making the sacred sacrifice less meaningful and therefore not holy, set apart.  Whatever was not eat was to be burned and if anything was left it would not be accepted to the Lord.  I wonder how big of meals the offerings ended up being?  I couldn't imagine eating a Thanksgiving feast like we have today every day.  The cool thing about the peace offering can either be a have to or a vow or voluntary offering.  One thing I try to practice more is hospitality and offering meals for others more often, I just don't make them clean their plates if they don't want to.

Leviticus 6

"And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.  Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place." vv.10-11 

Read chapter 6.
The priest officiating at the altar was to wear sacred garments for the sacred task.  We see in Exodus 29 the different parts of the priestly wear.  Notice that they are to change when done doing this service and not something they parade around town in.  Ministering at the altar with all the burnt offerings and the fire that was constantly burning and carrying of the ashes is a hot job.  I surely would be sweating a ton, but again we see the Lord providing these special garments for this specific task.  In Ezekiel 44:18 it says, "They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat."  These linen garments most likely protected them from the heat and allowed cooling of the body.  I need to find me clothes like that;)  A lot of people put on their "Sunday best" when they go to church or anything "religious" thinking they have to look good in front of God.  Well that's awesome but should we then dress well all the time as please to His eyes and not man's?  I love sometimes dressing up as if I'm going on a date with God, but also some of my best dates with God are in my pajamas.  Yes the priest were required to wear these garments a certain times and we aren't given a command to wear certain things at worship time, but how do you treat service to the Lord with what you wear?

Leviticus 5

" ‘And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing; and he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering...If he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord, for his trespass which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering...But if he is not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering." vv.5-7,11

Read chapter 5.
There is one exception to offerings and that is poverty.  There is still an offering required for the poorer but the same forgiveness is received.  No matter an offering of a lamb, goat, turtledoves, pigeons, or fine flour the result is the same, they're all forgiven even if it was the same sin.  This doesn't mean that if one can afford a lamb they can offer a pigeon, it's still giving the bests to the Lord just as the fat that was divided from the animal in chapter four and given for the Lord alone because it was the best part.  How often today too do we say that certain sins need certain payment to be forgiven?  How often do people put sins on different levels or forgiveness on levels to be forgiven?  Christ died for ALL and forgave ALL.  Not only for those that are good, or not too bad, but even the "worse" in mans eyes. This was taught in the law even before Christ died for us, that forgiveness was and is to all. It's one thing to say and the other thing to believe or think in you mind.  What makes that hard for you to always believe?

Leviticus 4

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anythingwhich ought not to be done, and does any of them...‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which should not be done, and are guilty...‘When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally...‘If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally." vv.2,13,22,27

Read chapter 4.
Can you sin without knowing?  Yes you can and in this chapter talks about the sin offering for unintentional sins.  We see that even if one did it in ignorance they were still guilty once it was brought to light.  There are more than just a handful of sins and definitely not an offering for every sin that there is or the work of the priests and the altar could never keep up, it seems that this sin offering was kind of a "blanket" offering.  This unintentional sin is not just by a single person but also for the whole congregation, rulers, common people.  We have to remember that even those we look to in leadership in Christianity error and also a whole community can follow a way of error and be at fault.  We should always take it to the Lord to know what His judgments are at setting things right.  When have you sinned unintentionally and realized your guilt afterwards and what did you do about it?  Luckily today we don't need to offer sacrifices for sins known or unknown because Christ has already paid that debt no matter the sin, but it is still good to ask the Lord for help in that area of sin.

Leviticus 3

"Then he shall offer from the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire to the Lord. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails...you shall eat neither fat nor blood." v.3, 17

Read chapter 3.
Everyone always says the fat is the best part.  And it was and why the fat, the best, is to be given to the Lord.  When an animal was sacrificed to the Lord the sacrificer was given instructions to cut the fat off certain parts of the innards and the priests would then burn it on the altar. This showed the choice or the best animal, with the fat in those parts showed that the animal was well fed and taken care of.  This doesn't meant that they weren't allowed to eat any kind of fat, but that spoken of in the specific animals spoken here.  The Israelites were not to eat the fat or the blood.  These two things were holy, set apart, to God and to be seen as a distinction of common and sacred things.  This chapter describes the peace offering and ultimately the blood that Christ shed on the cross for us was the peace offering giving us union with God.  What sacred things have been made common in today's society?

Leviticus 2

"‘No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire.  As for the offering of the firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma.  And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt." vv.11-13

Read chapter 2.

Next we have the chapter about the grain offering, the type of bread that was to be offered as a memorial.  This bread is to have no leaven or honey.  This could be partly as a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt of making haste and not putting any leaven the dough during the passover.  Honey is the cause for fermentation (leaven) so was no to be in the dough either.  In the warm climates of the East leavened bread soon spoils, and hence it was regarded as the emblem of hypocrisy or corruption.  Leaven is also used as an example by Christ of doctrines to be careful from (ex. Matthew 16:12).  As leaven and honey were forbidden, salt was prescribed.  Salt prevents fermentation.  Salt is required in all the offerings.  Christianity and all religious services must be season with grace (Mark 9:49, Colossians 4:6).  When the Arabs make a covenant together, they put salt on the blade of a sword, from whence every one puts a little into his mouth. This constitutes them blood relations, and they remain faithful to each other even when in danger of life (Ritter, Erd. 14:960). Hence the expression “a covenant of salt,” which also occurs in Numbers 18:19, and 2Chronicles 13:5, denotes an perpetually binding alliance, an everlasting covenant.  Christ is our grain offering, without sin and the binding covenant between us and God.  What leaven or honey do you need to rid in your life?  Where do you need to use more salt (grace or loyalty) in your life?