How does Leviticus 22:26 connect with New Testament teachings on sacrificial offerings? Scripture spotlight “Then the LORD said to Moses,” (Leviticus 22:26) What stands out in the verse • The initiative is entirely God’s—He speaks, He defines, He commands. • Every subsequent instruction about offerings (vv. 27-30) flows from this opening statement. • The pattern established: acceptable worship must originate with, and conform to, God’s revealed word. New Testament echoes of God-initiated sacrifice • Jesus’ offering was planned and commanded by the Father – Hebrews 10:5-7: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire… ‘Here I am… I have come to do Your will, O God.’” – John 10:17-18: “I lay down My life… This command I received from My Father.” • The timing of Christ’s sacrifice was divinely appointed – Galatians 4:4: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son.” • The sufficiency of the one offering fulfills the pattern of divinely ordered worship – Hebrews 9:14; 10:10, 14: Christ’s blood “purifies our conscience” and His single offering “has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Continuity of obedience from Law to Gospel • Old Covenant priests offered only what God prescribed; New Covenant believers trust the once-for-all offering God provided (Hebrews 8:5-6). • Under both covenants, human ideas or additions are excluded—worship must align with God’s specific revelation. • The “LORD said” of Leviticus becomes the “It is finished” (John 19:30) of Jesus, proving that every divine command finds its completion in Christ. Living out the connection today • Receive God’s provision: salvation rests on the Father-ordained sacrifice of the Son, not on personal merit (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Respond with surrendered lives: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). • Rely on Scripture for worship and practice, because the same God who spoke to Moses has spoken “in His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). In Leviticus 22:26 God begins the conversation on acceptable offerings; in the New Testament He ends the conversation by offering His own Son. The message from first page to last is consistent: true sacrifice is always God-initiated, God-defined, and God-fulfilled. |
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