Summer is the thing.  Denali peaked at me as I ran this morning.  All of my friends and neighbors smell of canoes and fishing trips.  Summer is the thing.

I have been on a journey through scripture.  My quest is to catalog all of the imperatives uttered by God.  I want to list every time God shouts a life giving “Stop!”, “Come!”, “Listen!”  Now we are in the book of Leviticus.  God just taught the people how to build a tabernacle, and now he teaches them how to use it.  A tabernacle should be used like everything.  Everything is for the glory of God.

Lev 1:2 “Speak to the people of Israel…”  God does what God does.  The prophet Moses does what a prophet does.  To open this walk through of Leviticus, I must point out the phrase, “you shall bring,” is not a true imperative.  This statement is more about possibility than the present.  For chapter 2 and 3 notice that there are lots of if/when statements.  These all fall under this same imperfect category.

Lev 4:2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, if anyone sins unintentionally…” The previous command was for the prophet to speak to the people about general offerings.  These offerings are specifically for the case of someone who has gone “Oops!” before God.  So far, Leviticus assumes that people wouldn’t be dumb enough to intentionally sin.  No one says, “Yeah that God who blew up all the Egyptian army, I don’t want him to be the boss of me.”  For the treatment of true rebels, see Numbers 15:30-31.

It is interesting that the sacrificial system begins in Lev 1 as a discussion of glorifying God and moves in Lev 4 to a discussion of how to deal with our inevitable screw ups.  Leviticus is not a book of self righteousness.

Lev 6:9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering.'” Moses is to command the priests.  Lev 1 uses the word qorban to discuss offerings from the lay persons perspective.  Qorban also usually refers to offerings given in obligation to an oath.  “God if you do X, I will praise you with Y”, which is not unbiblical.  See 1Samuel 1:11-28.  However, here we see the discussion of the olah from the priests perspective.  What are the rules for actually burning these offerings?

Lev 6:25 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering.”  Moses is to speak to the priests about the chattah, the sin offering.  Notice that this offering unlike the olah or qorban is not consumed by fire and there is a great emphasis on the priests consuming this offering.  These offerings are strictly forbidden from serving double duty as tabernacle-purifying and sin atoning (v30).  A glut of sin causes fat priests.

Lev 7:23 “Speak to the people of Israel… you shall eat no fat.”  Why can’t they eat fat?  Is it a diet? “The fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to Yahweh” belongs to Yahweh (v25).  So in these chapters about all the types of sacrifice we have this huge dietary restriction.  This is so otherworldly.  We look at the meat department or a butcher shop and think, “That cow looks delicious.”  God is making it clear that the sacrificial mindset enters the realm of the backyard barbecue.

Lev 7:29 “Speak to the people of Israel… whoever offers a peace offering shall bring his offering to Yahweh.”  There is no peace by proxy.  The sacrificer’s “own hands” must bring the carcass before the altar.

Burnt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, ordination offerings and peace offerings. Notice in all of these commands and regulations that there is an attitude about God’s provision.  Offerings and sacrifices are a terrible thing if the worshipper is flying solo.  Left to our own devices humans think God wants everything and nothing and we end up sacrificing children or starving our elders.  But, Leviticus does not read itself as burdensome.  “Ex-slaves, listen, God provided your flocks.  This is how you can glorify God.  And you don’t have to guess.  These are offerings he likes.” This is not a first date where you bring flowers that result in a epinephrine shot.  And here’s the basic pattern, when you praise God everything gets consumed.  When you sin and come back, you share a meal.  Next time we come to Leviticus Aaron and his sons will get dressed for the party.