How does Leviticus 6:23 emphasize the holiness required in sacrificial offerings? Setting the Scene • Leviticus 6 describes various grain offerings—gifts of fine flour mixed with oil, symbolizing work and life devoted to the LORD (Leviticus 2:1–2). • Verses 19-23 (in some translations 6:16-22) shift to a unique regulation: what happens when the priest himself presents a grain offering on the day of his anointing or at other times. Reading the Text “Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned entirely. It is not to be eaten.” (Leviticus 6:23) Key Observations • Entirely burned—“wholly” or “completely” consumed by fire. • Not to be eaten—no portion reserved for any priest, unlike most grain offerings (Leviticus 6:16-18). • Purpose—sets apart the priest’s own offering as exclusively God’s. Holiness in the Sacrificial System 1. Exclusive Devotion – By denying the priest the usual share, God receives everything (Numbers 18:9). – Holiness means what is offered to God cannot revert to common use (Leviticus 27:28). 2. Fire as Purifier – Fire throughout Leviticus symbolizes God’s consuming presence (Leviticus 9:24; Hebrews 12:29). – Entire burning underscores purification and total consecration. 3. No Personal Gain – Priests benefited from many offerings (Leviticus 2:3, 10). Their own sacrifice, however, yields no material advantage, guarding against self-interest (1 Peter 5:2). 4. Mirrors Christ’s Perfect Offering – Jesus, the sinless High Priest, offered Himself “once for all” (Hebrews 7:27; 10:10). – His sacrifice was wholly for God’s glory and our redemption—no part reserved, all consumed. Implications for Worship Today • Believers are “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). Our lives, like the priest’s grain offering, belong entirely to God. • Genuine worship leaves no portion of the heart un-surrendered (Romans 12:1). • Holy living resists using spiritual service for personal advantage (Acts 8:20). Takeaway Truths • Holiness demands complete devotion—nothing held back. • God’s fire consumes what is wholly His; He will not share His glory with self-interest. • Christ fulfilled this standard perfectly, enabling us to offer ourselves in the same spirit of total dedication. |
    |