What is the meaning of Leviticus 1:13? The entrails and legs must be washed with water • Washing removed visible impurity before the animal was laid on the altar, underscoring that God receives only what is clean (Leviticus 1:9; Exodus 30:17-21). • This outward cleansing pictures the inward purity God desires in His people—He calls us to “be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). • New-covenant fulfillment shines through verses like Hebrews 10:22, where believers draw near “having our bodies washed with pure water,” reminding us that Christ’s blood cleanses deeper than any ritual ever could. and the priest shall present all of it • Nothing was held back; the entire animal was brought forward. Earlier verses set the stage: the worshiper lays a hand on the head “and it will be accepted on his behalf” (Leviticus 1:3-4). • Total presentation foreshadows the call to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) and the privilege of believers who are now “a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5). • The priest mediates, but the offerer is included—hinting at the partnership God still desires with His people in worship. and burn it on the altar • Fire spoke of judgment and purification; everything was consumed (Leviticus 6:9). • Noah’s post-flood sacrifice “pleased the LORD” (Genesis 8:20-21), showing God’s appreciation of wholehearted worship even before Sinai. • Ultimately this looks ahead to Christ, who “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14) and whose sacrifice was “fragrant” (Ephesians 5:2). The altar blazes with grace that costs. it is a burnt offering • Unlike the fellowship or grain offerings, the burnt offering was entirely for God—symbolizing complete dedication. • Its smoke rose continually (Numbers 28:3-4), mirroring the daily need for atonement. • Isaiah 53:10 speaks of the Servant becoming “a guilt offering,” and Hebrews 10:10 declares, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Every burnt offering pointed straight to Calvary. a food offering • “My food for My offerings” (Numbers 28:2) is God’s way of saying He “consumes” the devotion of His people. He needs nothing, yet He delights in our surrender. • Jesus echoed the thought when He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 4:34). When we yield to God, we “feed” His pleasure and align with His will. a pleasing aroma to the LORD • Genesis 8:21 first mentions the LORD smelling “the pleasing aroma,” linking acceptance with sacrifice. • Paul borrows the language: “We are to God the aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) and calls generous giving “a fragrant offering” (Philippians 4:18). • The same phrase in Ephesians 5:2 crowns Christ’s self-giving love. When God smells obedience and faith, He is satisfied. summary Leviticus 1:13 layers picture after picture: cleansing before approach, total surrender, fiery judgment absorbed, and divine pleasure received. Every washed limb and rising wisp of smoke whispers the gospel—God welcomes sinners who come through a spotless, wholehearted sacrifice. In the old covenant that sacrifice was an animal; in the new, it is Christ, and through Him our own lives become a pleasing aroma to the LORD. |
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