Offer a Male Without Defect
Leviticus is a book that most people tend to skip. At best, they skim it. Leviticus gives meticulous details about how God expects his people to worship him. It involves a lot of animal sacrifices—blood, guts, and death—something we find off-putting and foreign.
Yet Leviticus also offers us much insight if we’re willing to dig into it.
It opens with instructions about how to make a burnt offering. The people can give different types of offerings to God, one of which is a burnt offering. A special type of burnt offering is a sin offering (Leviticus 4).
A burnt offering starts with an animal from their herd. A herd is a group of large, herbivore mammals, often cattle. From their herds, the people are to select a bull without defect.
They can also take a burnt offering from their flock. A flock is a more generic term that indicates a large group of animals, often sheep. In this passage, a flock refers to sheep or goats. Again, they are to select a male without defect.
Third, they can offer a burnt offering of birds, such as a dove or pigeon. Interestingly, they’re not required to select a bird without defect.
These three options to make a burnt offering, suggest addressing people of different financial means.
The more wealthy would have a herd and could select a bull. People of lesser means would have flocks and could select a ram (a male sheep or goat). Poor people would have neither but could still make a burnt offering of a bird.
The point is that all people had a path to worshipping God, regardless of how wealthy or poor they were,
For the burnt offering of a bull, sheep, or goat, it must be one without defect and, of course, male.
The idea of sacrificing a male animal, without defect, symbolically looks forward to Jesus’s sacrifice for us. Not only is Jesus male, but he is sinless, effectively without defect. Though he is not offered as a burnt offering, he does nonetheless die.
He dies for our sins as a perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
Because Jesus died for our sins, he reconciles us with the Father and secures our eternal salvation. It also means we no longer need to make a burn offering or sin offering. Thank you, Jesus.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Leviticus 1-3, and today’s post is on Leviticus 1:3.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.