What does "skin the burnt offering" reveal about obedience in our spiritual lives? Grasping the Scene: Leviticus 1:6 “ He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.” The Original Task and Why It Mattered • The command follows the placing of hands on the animal (v. 4) and its slaughter (v. 5). • Skinning exposed everything beneath the hide—nothing remained hidden from God. • Priests obeyed down to the smallest detail because the offering had to be wholly consumed on the altar. Obedience Illustrated in the Act of Skinning • Attention to Detail – God did not leave the priest to guess; He specified each step, showing that selective obedience is not obedience at all. • Costly Effort – Removing a hide was labor-intensive and bloody. Obedience often demands uncomfortable, sacrificial effort. • Total Exposure – The animal, once skinned, lay completely open. True obedience brings every part of life into the light of God’s holiness. • Preparation for Consumption – Only after skinning could the pieces be placed on the fire. Obedience prepares the believer for deeper surrender and purification. A Thread Woven Through Scripture • 1 Samuel 15:22 — “Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice.” • Romans 12:1 — “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices… your spiritual service of worship.” • Luke 9:23 — “Deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Each verse affirms that wholehearted obedience, not mere ritual, pleases the Lord. Applying the Lesson Today • Remove the “outer hide” of self-reliance by daily confession and repentance. • Follow God’s Word in specifics, not just broad strokes—honor Him in speech, finances, relationships, and thought life. • Embrace obedience even when it is messy or misunderstood, trusting that God’s refining fire consumes what is offered to Him. • Remember that the ultimate Burnt Offering, Christ, was completely exposed and given for us (Hebrews 10:5-10); our response is willing, thorough obedience. Living It Out 1. Start each day yielding every area—seen and unseen—to the Lord. 2. Act promptly on the Spirit’s conviction; delayed obedience invites spiritual calluses. 3. Celebrate obedience, knowing that as the smoke of Israel’s burnt offerings rose heavenward, so a life laid bare in obedience rises as “a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9, 13). |
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