Thursday, June 19, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Leviticus 1-2
Key Verse
Leviticus 1:17 — “And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.”
Devotional Thought
The book of Leviticus opens not with thunder from Sinai but with a voice from the tabernacle. The LORD calls to Moses from the tent of meeting, and what follows is a detailed manual for drawing near to a holy God. Israel has been redeemed out of Egypt, but redemption is not the end of the story—it is the beginning of a relationship, and that relationship must be ordered rightly. So God speaks of burnt offerings: a bullock from the herd, a sheep or goat from the flock, or, for the poor, turtledoves and young pigeons. Every offering must be without blemish, brought willingly to the door of the tabernacle. The worshipper lays his hand on the animal’s head, identifying himself with the sacrifice, and the blood is sprinkled round about the altar. The whole creature is burned—head, fat, inwards, legs—a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Notice the layers of provision here. The wealthy bring a bullock; the ordinary man brings a sheep; the poor bring birds. God does not demand what a man cannot give, yet He requires the best of what he can. The meat offering in chapter two is even more humble—fine flour, oil, frankincense, salt. No leaven, no honey, for these speak of corruption and fermentation; but salt, the emblem of covenant faithfulness, must season every offering. This is a God who cares about the details of ordinary life: flour and oil, baking pans and frying pans, the salt on the table. He is not distant from the kitchen or the field.
We read these chapters in the long green season of June, when gardens are producing and the days are full. It is easy to think that such ancient rituals have nothing to say to us. But the burnt offering teaches us something we are slow to learn: that sin costs life, that drawing near to God is never casual, and that He has always made a way for the poor to come. The birds of the poor man were as acceptable as the bullock of the rich. And every offering pointed forward to One who would be offered once for all—without blemish, willingly, outside the gate.
Today, our offerings are not blood and fire but bodies and lives. Paul says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1). The question Leviticus presses on us is not whether we will bring an offering, but whether we will bring it whole—washed, ordered, seasoned with salt, laid upon the altar with our hands upon the Head who bore our sin.
Reflection
- The worshipper laid his hand upon the head of the offering before it was slain—identifying himself with the sacrifice. What would it look like for you to lay your hand on Christ today, confessing that His death was yours, and that your life is now His?
- Every offering required salt, the “salt of the covenant.” Where in your daily worship—your work, your words, your home—have you allowed the salt to be lacking, offering something to God that has lost its savour?
Prayer
Our Father, we thank You that You have not left us to approach You on our own terms. You spoke from the tabernacle, and You still speak through Your Word, teaching us that sin costs life and that only a spotless sacrifice can make us acceptable. Thank You for the Lord Jesus, the Lamb without blemish, who laid down His life willingly and became for us a sweet savour unto You. Lord, we lay our hands upon Him afresh today. Receive us not because of what we bring, but because of what He has done. Season our lives with the salt of Your covenant, and let every offering we bring—our time, our work, our worship—be whole, washed, and pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.