What is the meaning of Leviticus 1:15? Then the priest shall bring it to the altar • The priest stands as God’s appointed mediator. By personally carrying the bird to the altar, he demonstrates that no one approaches God except through the way He has provided (Hebrews 5:1; John 14:6). • The altar is the meeting place between a holy God and sinful people (Exodus 29:43). Here God’s justice and mercy converge, just as they later meet at the cross (Hebrews 13:10). • The worshiper’s role is surrendered once the offering passes to the priest, picturing our complete reliance on Christ’s mediating work (1 Timothy 2:5). twist off its head • The swift removal of the bird’s head ends life quickly, emphasizing that sin’s penalty is death (Romans 6:23). • This act is solemn and personal—it prevents detachment from the cost of atonement. Every burnt offering reminded Israel that fellowship with God always involves a life given (Genesis 22:13–14). • The seriousness anticipates the profound sacrifice of Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). and burn it on the altar • In a burnt offering the entire animal is consumed, symbolizing total consecration (Leviticus 1:9). Nothing is held back; everything rises to God as “a pleasing aroma” (Ephesians 5:2). • Fire represents God’s purifying judgment (Hebrews 12:29). By accepting the sacrifice, He shows that judgment has fallen on the substitute, not on the sinner. • The complete burning foreshadows Christ’s full self-offering: “He offered Himself unblemished to God” (Hebrews 9:14). its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar • Blood belongs to God because “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). Pouring it out publicly proclaims that life has been surrendered in place of the worshiper’s life. • The side of the altar becomes a visible testimony that atonement has been made (Exodus 24:8). • This draining parallels Christ’s blood poured out “for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28), securing eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). summary Leviticus 1:15 walks us step by step through a burnt offering of a bird. Each movement—presentation by the priest, the decisive death, the total burning, and the outpoured blood—points to the unchanging truth that sin demands death and that God mercifully accepts a substitute. The ritual invites wholehearted devotion while foreshadowing the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus, who fulfills every symbol and secures our way to God. |
    |