Search
The tabernacle typifies God incarnated to dwell among men that they may contact, receive, possess, and enter into Him to enjoy Him as their life and their life supply. The offerings typify the incarnated Christ who joined Himself to man to be man’s substitute offering to solve all of man’s problems, including sin, before God. As the offerings, He also becomes food to God and to those who belong to and serve God so that both God and man may be satisfied. There are five basic offerings: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. In addition, there are subordinate offerings, such as the wave offering, the heave offering, the drink offering, the offering for thanksgiving, and the offering for a vow or a freewill offering. All these offerings are types of Christ, revealing that the riches of Christ in His various aspects meet the need of God and man.
The basic offerings are the basis of all the offerings; all the subordinate offerings are based on the basic offerings.
The burnt offering (Lev. 1) is mainly for God as food for His satisfaction. It primarily signifies Christ in His living for God and for God’s satisfaction, not in His redeeming man from sin. In the life of the Lord Jesus there was no blemish, defect, or imperfection. He was perfect, and the life He lived was perfect and absolutely for God. He was fully qualified to be the burnt offering. Through His incarnation, a body was prepared for Him by God to be the real burnt offering. He did God’s will (Heb. 10:5-9) and became obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross (Phil. 2:8), on which He offered Himself to God once for all (Heb. 10:10).
When the priests offered up the sacrifice of the burnt offering to God, a satisfying fragrance, that is, a savor that brings satisfaction, peace, and rest, ascended to God for His satisfaction and rest. Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet acceptance to man. This shows that if we desire to walk in a way that satisfies God with sweetness, peace, and rest, that is, to live a life that is absolutely for God, we must take Christ as our burnt offering. We need to lay our hands on Him to be identified with Him, to be one with Him, and to live the life He lived on earth. Such a life includes our willingness to be slaughtered (put to death), skinned (stripped of the outward expression of our virtues), cut into pieces (broken, without any reservation in our entire being), and washed (cleansed by the Holy Spirit). By passing through all these processes, we will have something to offer to God as our burnt offering—the very Christ whom we have experienced.
The emphasis of the burnt offering is on Christ’s being absolutely for God, even unto death. The burnt offering implies His living but emphasizes His death. The emphasis of the meal offering is on Christ’s human living and daily walk. The meal offering implies His death but emphasizes His living. In the burnt offering we see that Christ is the righteousness of God, and in the meal offering we see that Christ is righteous before God—He is fine, perfect, complete, and righteous in every way.
The meal offering (Lev. 2) is for God as food for His satisfaction, and it is also for His serving ones as food for their satisfaction. This offering shows that Christ lived a human life that was beautiful and excellent to the uttermost so that God and His serving ones could share the same satisfaction. The main element of the meal offering is fine flour, which signifies that Christ’s humanity is fine, perfect, balanced, and right in every way. This fine flour is produced out of wheat which has passed through many processes, including being sown and buried in the ground, growing up, being beaten by wind, frost, rain, and sun, and then being reaped, threshed, sifted, and ground. These processes signify the varied sufferings of Christ in His human living, which made Him “a man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3).
The oil of the meal offering signifies the Spirit of God (Luke 4:18; Heb. 1:9). Christ is a man with an excellent humanity. He also has the divine element, which is the Spirit of God. The meal offering is mingled with oil, signifying that Christ’s humanity has been mingled with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18). This mingling also signifies that Christ’s human nature has been mingled with God’s divine nature; hence, He is a God-man. He is a man mingled with God; His divinity has been mingled with His humanity as one. He is a man in humanity, yet He expressed His divine attributes as human virtues, thus expressing God in His humanity.
In the meal offering the sweet-smelling frankincense signifies the fragrance of Christ in His resurrection. Frankincense was put on the fine flour, signifying that Christ’s humanity with the aroma of His resurrection was manifested through His sufferings. During the course of His human life, Christ suffered a great deal, but the aroma of His resurrection was manifested through His sufferings.
Hence, the three elements in the meal offering—fine flour, oil, and frankincense—show the entire life of Christ. He continually lived and walked in these three things, that is, in His humanity mingled with His divinity and expressing His resurrection. No matter what the circumstances were, the Lord Jesus lived a life of suffering but expressed the fragrance of resurrection. In every place and at every time, Christ lived a life of humanity mingled with divinity, expressing His resurrection. This is the meal offering.
In the meal offering, all the frankincense with part of the fine flour and part of the oil were burned on the altar (Lev. 2:2). This signifies that a significant portion of Christ’s excellent, perfect, Spirit-filled, and resurrection-saturated living was offered to God as food for His enjoyment. The remainder of the meal offering was for Aaron and his sons (v. 3). This signifies that after God’s enjoyment, we also can enjoy Christ’s human living as our food. We must first give God’s portion to Him for His satisfaction, and then the remainder will be our portion for our satisfaction.
The peace offering as the center of the five basic offerings is based on God’s satisfaction in the burnt offering. Christ’s being the burnt offering to God for His satisfaction qualifies Him to deal with our sin, that is, the sin in our nature. This is indicated by Leviticus 3:5 and 6:12. Speaking of the peace offering, Leviticus 3:5 says, “Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering by fire, a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah.” Here we see that the burnt offering is a basis for the peace offering to be accepted by God. With the burning of the burnt offering as a basis, God accepts the peace offering.
The peace offering is an issue of the enjoyment of God and man in the meal offering. Christ in His excellent human living as the meal offering to God is for the satisfaction of both God and man and qualifies Him to deal with our trespasses and transgressions, the sinful deeds in our conduct. Based on this, Christ becomes our peace offering so that we may have peace with God and with man and may enjoy Christ together as our peace with God and with man.
The peace offering was slaughtered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting (vv. 2, 8, 13). This signifies that Christ was slain on the earth and before God so that we may enjoy Christ on earth today. The blood of the peace offering was sprinkled on and around the altar where the offerer was standing (vv. 2, 8, 13). This indicates that the blood is for peace in the offerer’s conscience. When we see the blood of the peace offering, we have the assurance that our sins have been washed away.
All the fat that covered and was on the inward parts, the two kidneys, the appendage on the liver, and the entire fat tail were burned on the altar (vv. 3-5, 9-11, 14-16). This signifies that God should be the first to enjoy, enjoying the first, the best, part of the offering.
The breast and the right thigh of the offering were for the priests (7:32-34). This signifies that all the believers who serve God as priests may enjoy Christ with God and may enjoy Him as their loving ability and standing strength. When we eat the breast of Christ, we have His loving ability to love others and to be concerned for them in love. When we eat the thigh of Christ, we have His strength to stand.
The divine sequence of the five basic offerings opens with the burnt offering, showing that the primary thing for us is to be absolute for God. The burnt offering is followed by the meal offering, which shows that we should take Christ as our life supply and live by Him daily. The issue of taking Christ as the burnt offering and the meal offering is peace. Even though we have peace, we still have certain problems that need to be dealt with—sin within and sins without. Hence, after the peace offering, there is still the sin offering and the trespass offering.
The sin offering signifies Christ as the offering to deal with the sin in our fallen nature (Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21). Leviticus 4 repeatedly speaks of the sin of ignorance (vv. 1-2, 13, 22, 27), that is, sin committed unintentionally. This signifies the indwelling sin in our fallen nature. Christ became flesh for our sin, but He was only in the likeness of the flesh of sin and did not have the sin of the flesh (John 1:14; Rom. 8:3). Nevertheless, He was crucified in the flesh (1 Pet. 3:18). Thus, on the cross He judged Satan, who is related to the flesh, and the world, which hung on Him (John 16:11; 12:31), and He destroyed Satan (Heb. 2:14). At the same time, through Christ’s crucifixion in the flesh, God condemned sin, which was brought by Satan into man’s flesh (Rom. 8:3). As a result, we can walk according to the spirit rather than the flesh, no longer being under the bondage of sin and fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law in us (v. 4).
The sin offering may be a young bull, a male or female goat, or a female lamb (Lev. 4:3, 14, 23, 28, 32). This signifies that Christ as the sin offering is experienced by different people in different degrees. In Himself as the sin offering, Christ does not differ in size. He is always the same. However, our realization, presentation, and application of Christ as the sin offering may differ in degree.
Some of the blood of the sin offering was brought into the Tent of Meeting and sprinkled seven times toward the veil of the Holy of Holies (vv. 5-6, 16-17). This signifies that the blood of Christ has been brought into the Holy of Holies in the heavens for our redemption (Heb. 9:12). Christ’s blood covers our situation with God in the Holy of Holies. Moreover, some of the blood was put upon the horns of the altar of fragrant incense (Lev. 4:7a, 18a). This signifies that the redemption of Christ’s blood is effective for us to contact God in prayer (Heb. 10:19). We need to contact God in our prayer through the blood. Furthermore, some of the blood was put upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering (Lev. 4:25a, 30a, 34a). This signifies that the blood of Christ is effective for our redemption. All the rest of the blood was poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering (vv. 7b, 18b, 25b, 30b, 34b). This signifies that the blood of Christ at the standing of the cross is for peace in our conscience and that we have been redeemed and accepted by God.
The sin offering was slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering was slaughtered (Lev. 6:25). This indicates that the sin offering is based on the burnt offering, and it signifies that Christ can be the sin offering for us because He is the burnt offering. Christ must be the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction so that He can be qualified to be our sin offering. This also indicates that our experience of the sin offering is altogether related to our enjoyment of the Lord Jesus as our burnt offering. The more we love the Lord and enjoy Him, the more we will know our evil nature and know our great need for Christ as our sin offering.
For the priests’ service, the sin offering is followed by the burnt offering (16:3, 5). This signifies that, as the priests of God, we must take Christ as the burnt offering in order to live Christ for God’s satisfaction, after enjoying Him as the sin offering.
Whereas Christ as our sin offering deals with the sin in our nature inwardly, Christ as our trespass offering deals with the sins in our conduct outwardly (1 Pet. 2:24). Leviticus 5 shows that the trespass offering is also called the sin offering (vv. 6-8, 11-12). This signifies that Christ’s redemption for our sin resolves the problem of sin in its two aspects—sin in our inward nature and sins in our outward conduct. These two aspects of sin make up the totality of sin. John 1:29 speaks of this totality: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The word sin is in the singular; it denotes the totality of sin, comprising both inward sin and outward sins.
Leviticus 5:7 says, “If he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring as his trespass offering to Jehovah for that in which he has sinned two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.” Here we see that a sin offering and a burnt offering form the trespass offering. This signifies that the source of a trespass is the inward sin and that the reason for a trespass is not living for God. Inward sin needs the sin offering. Not living for God needs the burnt offering. The two are a complete type of Christ as the trespass offering, which resolves the problem of our sins.
Leviticus 5:11 says, “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for that which he has sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering.” Here, fine flour is used for a sin offering. Fine flour typifies the humanity of Jesus. Thus, the trespass offering not only includes the sin offering and the burnt offering, but it is even related to the humanity of Jesus. This indicates that we commit many sins not only because we have sin within us and are not absolute for God but also because we are short of the humanity of Jesus. Because of this shortage, we are full of lies, death, the natural life, and rashness. The humanity of Jesus is an all-inclusive dose to kill our germs, to heal our diseases, and to supply our need.
The subordinate offerings are produced out of the basic offerings, such as the breast of the peace offering which becomes the wave offering and the thigh of the peace offering which becomes the heave offering.
Leviticus 7:29-31 shows that the offerer of the peace offering was to bring parts of his offering for the offerings of Jehovah by fire. The fat was to be burned to God by fire on the altar with the breast waved as a wave offering before Jehovah for Aaron and his sons. Wave indicates movement. This signifies Christ moving in His resurrection. Hence, the wave offering is a type of Christ in resurrection. Since the breast signifies love, the breast of the wave offering signifies the loving part of Christ in resurrection. This part is for the priests, that is, for the serving ones’ enjoyment.
Concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons, Leviticus 8:26-28 speaks of one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer being placed upon the portions of the fat and upon the right thigh. Then all these portions were put on the palms of Aaron and of his sons and waved as a wave offering. They were then taken from their hands and offered up in smoke on the altar upon the burnt offering for an offering of consecration by fire to Jehovah for a satisfying fragrance. This signifies that the tender, excellent, and strong parts of Christ, as the three kinds of cakes, with His sinless but Spirit-mingled humanity in different aspects as food, are offered to God in His resurrection. As such, they become a satisfying and fragrant offering in the fellowship of His sufferings unto death on the cross for our assuming of the New Testament priesthood.
The breast of the ram of consecration was waved as a wave offering before Jehovah, and it was Moses’ portion. This signifies that the loving capacity of Christ in His resurrection is for the one who ministers Christ to us in our consecration for the priesthood.
Leviticus 7:32-33 says, “The right thigh you shall give to the priest for a heave offering out of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. The one among the sons of Aaron who presents the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh as his portion.” The heave offering signifies the ascended Christ, and the right thigh signifies strength, power. Hence, the right thigh of the peace offering given to the priest as a heave offering signifies that the strength of Christ in His ascension is given to the serving one as a portion for his enjoyment.
God took “the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering...from the children of Israel out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings” and gave them “to Aaron the priest and to his sons for a perpetual statute to be observed by the children of Israel” (v. 34). This signifies that God has allotted, in our enjoyment of Christ as the peace offering, the loving capacity and the strengthening power of Christ to us, the New Testament priests, as our eternal portion for our enjoyment in serving God. The more we minister Christ as the peace offering and the more we offer Christ as the peace offering to God, the more we will have the loving capacity and the strengthening power of Christ. In this way, we will become stronger and more loving.
The drink offering was in addition to the basic offerings revealed in Leviticus and was offered mainly with the burnt offering, the peace offering, and the meal offering (Exo. 29:40-41; Lev. 23:9-13, 15-18; Num. 15:1-10; 28:1-14; 29:12-38). The drink offering is a type of Christ pouring Himself out for God’s pleasure and satisfaction. It is also a type of Christ as enjoyed by the offerer. Christ, as the heavenly wine, fills the offerer and even causes him to become wine to God, that is, to become a drink offering by being poured out as a sacrifice to God upon the believers’ faith, through the shedding of blood in suffering martyrdom for the Lord (Phil. 2:17).
The offering for thanksgiving is a kind of peace offering and is offered with the peace offering. The peace offering is of different kinds, indicating that the offerers’ enjoyment of Christ is in different conditions. Of all the different peace offerings, the peace offering for thanksgiving is the weakest. Concerning this kind of peace offering, Leviticus 7:12 says, “If he presents it for a thanksgiving, then he shall present with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil and unleavened wafers anointed with oil and saturated cakes of fine flour mingled with oil.” This signifies that Christ, who is mingled with the Spirit without sin, anointed with the Spirit without sin, and saturated with the Spirit as the fine One, as the meal offering in our enjoyment of Him in His conduct, is our peace offering in our thanksgiving to God, having been crucified with the shedding of His blood on the cross (Col. 1:20).
The flesh of the thanksgiving sacrifice of the peace offering was eaten on the day of its offering, and no part of it was laid aside until morning (Lev. 7:15). This signifies that the maintaining power of the peace offering for thanksgiving is rather small, and its enjoyment cannot be carried from one day to the next. This indicates that our offering of Christ as a thanksgiving to God must be fresh and new, with nothing left to become stale. Our experience of Christ daily needs to be adjusted, balanced, fresh, and new.
Like the offering for thanksgiving, the offering for a vow or a freewill offering is a kind of peace offering, and it is offered with the peace offering. “If the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he presents his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten” (v. 16). This signifies that the maintaining power of the peace offering for a vow or a freewill offering is stronger than that of the offering for thanksgiving and that its enjoyment can last until the next day. This also indicates that our stronger enjoyment of Christ can last longer. If our offering is stronger, our enjoyment of this offering will last longer.
However, “if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten at all on the third day, it will not be accepted, neither will it be reckoned to the one who presents it; it will be an abomination, and the person who eats of it shall bear his own iniquity” (v. 18). This signifies that our enjoyment in oldness will not be pleasant to God and not right with Him. The lawless enjoyment of Christ is abhorrent to God. Therefore, in 1 Corinthians 11 Paul warns us that in coming to the Lord’s table, we must be careful.
In Leviticus 22:18-21 an offering for a vow or for a freewill offering can be a burnt offering. The significance of the burnt offering is to be absolute for God. If we make a strong decision to live absolutely for God, this vow becomes a burnt offering. If, as an exercise of our free will, we spontaneously choose to be absolute for God, this is a freewill offering becoming a burnt offering. This portion of the Scripture also tells us that each of these offerings must be a male without blemish, of the sheep or of the goats. A male here signifies a strong Christ. When we offer an offering for a vow or a freewill offering to God, our offering must be a strong Christ without blemish whom we have experienced.
Among the offerings, there are five basic ones: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. In addition, there are subordinate offerings, including the wave offering, the heave offering, the drink offering, the offering for thanksgiving, and the offering for a vow or a freewill offering. All these offerings are types of Christ, revealing how the riches of Christ in His various aspects meet the need of God and man.
The burnt offering signifies that through His incarnation Christ lived a life that was absolutely for God. He did God’s will and became obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross, on which He offered Himself to God once for all for God’s satisfaction. The three elements—the fine flour, the oil, and the frankincense—in the meal offering signify that in His life Christ continually lived in His humanity mingled with His divinity and expressed His resurrection. His excellent, perfect, Spirit-filled, and resurrection-saturated living is offered to God as His food and as the serving ones’ food for the satisfaction of both God and man. The peace offering is the center of the five basic offerings. Christ being the peace offering to God is based on His being the burnt offering to satisfy God, which qualifies Him to deal with the sin in our nature. It is also based on His being the meal offering for God’s satisfaction, which qualifies Him to deal with the sinful deeds in our outward conduct. By this, Christ is accepted by God and becomes our peace offering so that we may have peace with God and with man and enjoy Christ together as our peace with God and with man. The sin offering signifies Christ as the offering to deal with the sin in our fallen nature. Christ being the sin offering for us is based on His being the burnt offering. Christ must be the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction so that He might be qualified to be our sin offering to deal with the sin in our nature. Christ as our trespass offering deals with the sins in our conduct outwardly. The trespass offering not only includes the sin offering and the burnt offering, but it is also related to the humanity of Jesus. This indicates that we commit many sins not only because we have sin within us and because we are not absolute for God but also because we are short of the humanity of Jesus.
The subordinate offerings are the breast of the peace offering which becomes the wave offering for the priests, signifying the loving part of Christ in His resurrection for the serving ones’ enjoyment; the thigh of the peace offering which becomes the heave offering for the priests, signifying the strength of Christ in His ascension for the serving ones’ enjoyment as an eternal portion; the drink offering offered with the burnt offering, the peace offering, and the meal offering, signifying Christ pouring Himself out for God’s pleasure and satisfaction; and the offering for thanksgiving, the offering for a vow, and the freewill offering. All these special effects are produced out of the basic offerings.
