How does Leviticus 7:38 connect with Jesus' fulfillment of the law? Leviticus 7:38 in Its Torah Context • “which the LORD had commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.” (Leviticus 7:38) • The verse concludes a detailed section (Leviticus 6–7) addressing six kinds of sacrifices: burnt, grain, sin, guilt, ordination, and fellowship offerings (v. 37). • It anchors those instructions to a historic moment—Mount Sinai—underscoring that every sacrifice flowed from God’s direct revelation. Sacrifices as Shadows Pointing Forward • Hebrews 10:1 — “For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves.” • Each offering in Leviticus prefigures an aspect of Christ’s work: – Burnt offering: total surrender → Jesus gave Himself wholly (Ephesians 5:2). – Grain offering: sinless devotion → Jesus, the “bread of life” (John 6:35). – Sin offering: substitution for guilt → “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). – Guilt offering: restitution → Christ makes full satisfaction (Isaiah 53:10 “You make His life an offering for guilt”). – Ordination offering: consecration of priests → Jesus, our High Priest, consecrates believers (Hebrews 7:26). – Fellowship offering: restored communion → “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Jesus Declares Fulfillment • Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill.” • At Calvary every sacrificial category met its completion: “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Hebrews 9:26). • The day Christ died, the veil tore (Matthew 27:51), signaling that the Sinai‐instituted system had reached its goal in Him. Sinai and Calvary—Two Mountains, One Story • Mount Sinai: law given, sacrifices instituted. • Mount Calvary: law fulfilled, final sacrifice offered. • Exodus 24:8 records Moses sprinkling blood to seal the covenant; Luke 22:20 shows Jesus lifting the cup, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.” The parallel is deliberate and decisive. Practical Takeaways for Today • Confidence: Jesus met every legal demand; no further sacrifice is required (Hebrews 10:18). • Worship: Offer “a sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15) instead of animal offerings. • Holiness: Live consecrated lives, echoing the total devotion prefigured in the burnt offering (Romans 12:1). • Fellowship: Enjoy continual access, “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). Leviticus 7:38 ties the complete Sinai sacrificial code to a single historical command. Jesus ties that entire code to Himself, completing what the Father prescribed through Moses and opening the way for believers to live in the reality the shadows foretold. |
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