Message 4
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Scripture Reading: Lev. 1:2-6
The burnt offering is the Christ who is absolutely for God’s satisfaction. In this message we shall see from the text of Leviticus 1 how to offer Christ as the burnt offering.
Chapters one through seven of Leviticus do not give us the details concerning what Christ is as the offerings; instead, these chapters show us the way to offer Christ. Although Leviticus 1—7 tells us that Christ is the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering, actually these chapters do not tell us how Christ is these offerings but tell us how to offer Christ as these offerings. Leviticus 1—7 does not speak of what Christ Himself is totally as the offerings. For example, Leviticus 1 speaks not of what Christ is totally as the burnt offering but rather speaks of the way to offer Christ as the burnt offering. If these chapters only told us what Christ is totally as the offerings, then these chapters would be merely objective teachings of doctrines. However, these chapters are not merely objective teachings, but they reveal to us the subjective experiences we may have of Christ. Chapter one does not teach us how much Christ is as the burnt offering but teaches us how to experience Christ and then how to bring our experience of Christ to God. It is altogether a matter not of doctrine but of experience.
If we do not realize this point, we shall be bothered by certain things in Leviticus 1, for instance, the washing of the burnt offering. What does it mean for Christ as the burnt offering to be washed? A matter such as this becomes clear when we realize that this chapter does not tell us about Christ in His entirety as the burnt offering but shows us the way to offer Christ. What we offer is not Christ Himself in His entirety but the Christ we have experienced.
In Leviticus 1 Christ as the burnt offering is seen first as a bull (v. 5), second, as a sheep or a goat (v. 10), and finally, as a turtledove or a pigeon (v. 14). This bothered me when I was young, for I wondered how we could have a Christ in different sizes. Of course, in Himself and in His totality Christ is of one size. Christ’s size is universal; His dimensions are the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth (Eph. 3:18). Not even a bull can represent Christ in His universal greatness, in His dimensions.
Although in Himself Christ is of one size, in our experiences Christ is of different sizes. For example, a new believer who has been helped to know Christ to a certain degree may offer Christ to God at the Lord’s table. In God’s eyes what he offers of Christ might be a small pigeon. But suppose the Apostle Paul could be present in the meeting and also offer Christ to God as the burnt offering. In God’s eyes Paul’s offering might be a large bull. In the same meeting another believer, who has been in the Lord fifteen years and who has had considerable experience of the Lord, may also offer Christ as his burnt offering. In the eyes of God his offering might be a lamb. In this meeting Christ as the burnt offering is of three sizes. This does not mean, however, that Christ is actually of more than one size. In Himself Christ is of one size. The difference, then, is not in what He is but in what we experience.
As we read Leviticus 1, we need to keep in mind that this chapter does not teach us concerning the actual size of Christ in His totality. On the contrary, this chapter teaches us concerning the Christ whom we experience. Christ is eternally great, but in my experience He may be like a pigeon in size. After some years, I may be able to offer Christ as a lamb. If I continue to grow, eventually the Christ I offer as a burnt offering will be the same as that offered by Paul, a large bull. This is a matter of experience, not of doctrine. The fact that in Leviticus 1 the burnt offering is of different sizes indicates that what is taught in this chapter is not doctrinal but experiential.
Let us now turn to the text of Leviticus 1 and consider a number of important matters related to experience.
In coming to the tent of meeting, we should not come empty-handed, but we should come with something of Christ. Leviticus 1:2 says, “When anyone of you brings an offering to Jehovah, you shall bring your offering from the cattle, of the herd or of the flock.” Notice the words “brings” and “shall bring.” The Hebrew word for bring here means to bring near, to bring something to someone’s presence. Further, the word implies presenting, offering.
Suppose an Israelite who had inherited a portion of the good land was a loose and lazy person, not tilling the ground or sowing seed and watering. At the time of harvest, such a person would not have anything to reap. As a result, he would not have anything to bring to the feast; he would come empty-handed. Like the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, who wanted to borrow oil from the wise virgins, a lazy Israelite might have tried to borrow or to buy from others something to offer to God.
Today many of the saints are like this. They are loose and lazy and do not labor on Christ, in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ. Paul, however, was different. He said that he strived, struggled (Col. 1:28-29), labored (1 Cor. 15:10), and even fought for Christ. Paul was a busy person; he labored more than all the other apostles, yet it was not he but the grace of God that was with him. Like Paul, we need to labor on Christ that we may have something of Christ to present to God.
Of course, in ourselves and by ourselves we are nothing and we can do nothing. We surely must depend on the rain from the heavens. Suppose the heavens send rain, yet we do not labor. What would happen then? We would reap nothing of Christ, and thus we would have nothing of Christ to bring to God. We need to labor on Christ that we may be able to bring something of Christ to God. This is not a matter of doctrine concerning Christ as the burnt offering but a matter of experience related to offering Christ to God.
The Hebrew word that is translated as “offering” in Leviticus 1:2, the word corban, means a gift or a present. What we bring to the presence of God becomes a gift, a present. If we would have a present for God, we need to labor on Christ and struggle, strive, and fight for Christ. To labor on Christ as the good land is to till the ground, to sow the seed, to water the seed, and to take care of the crop. This is to work, to toil, diligently as a farmer. Second Timothy 2:6 indicates that we are farmers, the most diligent and industrious of people. As farmers, we need to labor on Christ. If we labor on Christ, we shall have something of Christ as the burnt offering to be a present for God.
The way of offering the burnt offering is a demonstration of our experience of Christ; it is a demonstration of how we have experienced Christ’s experience. The way of offering is thus both a demonstration of our experience of Christ’s experience and of how we have experienced Christ’s experience.
“He shall slaughter the young bull before Jehovah” (Lev. 1:5a). This indicates that as the burnt offering Christ was slaughtered. Being slaughtered was Christ’s personal experience when He was on earth. As lovers of Christ who would take Christ as our burnt offering, we need to experience His being slaughtered. Have you ever been slaughtered? Have you ever experienced Christ’s being slaughtered? Have you ever made Christ’s experience of being slaughtered your experience? We need to make Christ’s experience of being slaughtered our experience.
We should have this experience in our married life. Suppose a brother’s wife is very strong and insistent with him. What should he do? Instead of arguing with her, he should experience Christ’s experience of being slaughtered.
Consider the picture presented in the Gospels of the Lord Jesus standing before Pilate, who was about to make the final judgment concerning His crucifixion. The Lord was handed over to evil men who then brought Him to the place of slaughter. In this situation the Lord Jesus did not resist. If we have the real experience of Christ’s being slaughtered, we shall not resist being led to the slaughter by our husband or wife. Instead of resisting, we shall allow our husband or wife to put us on the cross.
If we experience Christ’s being slaughtered, we shall come to the Lord’s table and praise the Lord, perhaps with tears, saying, “Lord, thank You for giving me the opportunity to experience Your being slaughtered. How sweet it was to be one with You in being led to the slaughter!” This is to offer Christ to God as our burnt offering. This is also a demonstration of how we have experienced Christ in His experience of being slaughtered.
If we in the churches have this experience, there will be no quarreling or fighting but only the experience of being brought to the slaughter. At the Lord’s table there will be many praises, perhaps offered with tears, to the Lord for giving us opportunities to experience Christ’s being slaughtered.
Sometimes we reason with the brothers or with our spouse. Whenever we do this we turn away from the cross. Reasoning is nothing but a turning away from being slaughtered. If this is our situation, then at the Lord’s table there will be no praises to the Lord. Whatever we say in our prayer or praise will mean nothing because we have not had the real experience of Christ in His sufferings and, hence, we have no burnt offering. In such a case we are not absolutely for God; neither do we take Christ as our burnt offering, experiencing what He experienced in His being slaughtered. This is the reason that at the Lord’s table we have repeated, common, and customary songs, prayers, and praises, without the real experience of appreciation and presentation of the Christ whom we have experienced.
If we experience what Christ experienced in being slaughtered, there will be much praise offered to the Lord at the Lord’s table, but there will not be any quarreling in the church life or in our married life. Certain ones may oppose us or criticize us, but we shall not fight with them. Without saying anything, we shall simply allow others to lead us to the cross and slaughter us. If this is our experience, we shall have a large burnt offering to bring to God, and we shall have much praise in the tent of meeting. What we present to God will be a demonstration of how we have experienced Christ’s experience of being slaughtered.
The first part of 1:6 says, “He shall skin the burnt offering.” The skinning of the burnt offering signifies Christ’s willingness to let the outward expression of His virtues be stripped. In the four Gospels we see that Christ was defamed, stripped of the beauty of His virtues. For example, some said, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (John 8:48). Others said of Him, “He has a demon and is insane; why do you listen to him?” (John 10:20). This indicates that as the burnt offering the Lord Jesus was “skinned.”
Paul also experienced this skinning. He was skinned by the Corinthians who accused him of sending Titus to them for the purpose of taking money from them. Paul addressed this accusation in 2 Corinthians 12:16-18. “But let it be so, I did not burden you, but being crafty I took you with guile. Did I take advantage of you through anyone whom I have sent to you? I entreated Titus and sent with him the brother. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Not in the same steps?” Some of the Corinthians had charged Paul of being crafty in making gain, indemnifying himself by sending Titus to receive the collection for the poor saints. Paul’s real attitude is expressed in verse 15. “I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent on behalf of your souls, even if loving you more abundantly, I am loved less.” He was willing to be wholly exhausted for their sake. Nevertheless, he was accused of beguiling them and of using Titus to steal money from them. Was this not a matter of skinning?
In 2 Corinthians 6:3-13 Paul lists many of the evidences that he is a servant, a minister, of God. Verse 8 says, “Through glory and dishonor, through evil report and good report.” We may find it hard to believe that the spreading of evil reports concerning Paul was an evidence that he was an apostle. These evil reports were an evidence that Paul was God’s servant. An evil report is a matter of skinning, of having our outward beauty stripped away.
No one likes to be skinned. During my years in the church life, many have come to me asking me to put back the skin that had been peeled off. If you are skinned by your husband or wife, will you not do everything possible to reattach the skin? Will you not try to restore the good report concerning you, to recover the outward expression of your virtues?
Suppose you are one trying to reattach the peeled-off skin. When you come to the Lord’s table, will you be able to praise the Lord for helping to put the skin back on? I do not think that anyone could offer such a praise to the Lord.
However, suppose in the family life and in the church life you experience a lot of skinning. Then you will be able to say, “Lord, I have experienced the very skinning You experienced. I follow You and accept the skinning, the stripping, the defaming, the evil reports, just as You did. Lord, what I have experienced is actually Your experience of being skinned.” If you are a person with this kind of experience, the praise you offer, even if it is short, at the Lord’s table will deeply touch the meeting. This is the real, sincere, and honest offering of Christ as the burnt offering.
This is not an offering of the total Christ as the burnt offering. No one, not even Paul, can offer Christ totally as He is. Rather, we can offer only that part of Christ which we have experienced.
Leviticus 1:6 also tells us that the one who presented the burnt offering was to “cut it into its pieces.” No one likes to be cut into pieces; we all like to remain whole, complete, perfect. We keep ourselves from being cut by insisting that we are right and that others are wrong. To be accused of doing something wrong is to be cut into pieces. Most of the quarrels between husband and wife involve the first party saying that the second party is wrong and the second party arguing that the first party is wrong.
The situation is the same in the church life. A sister may complain that others in the church life are not fair. When she comes to the meeting, she may look at a certain saint, thinking that this saint has not been fair with her. This saint may have the same thought toward this sister. The result is an inner fighting. Who, then, is fair, and who is not fair? The only fair one is the one who is willing to be put on the cross and crucified.
Problems between husband and wife and between the saints can be solved only through forgiveness. Do you know what it means to forgive? To forgive is to forget. If you touch some saints in the church life wrongly, they may not forgive you during their lifetime. This unwillingness to forgive affects the praises at the Lord’s table. If the saints have complaints against one another, it will be difficult to have a living, uplifted Lord’s table meeting.
Instead of being willing to be cut into pieces, we like to protect ourselves. During His life on earth, Christ was cut into pieces continually, and we need to experience His being cut. In our married life and in our church life, we need to follow the Lord’s steps by His life within us. His life is not a quarreling life. His life is a life that is willing to suffer the cutting. If we experience this, we shall be able to bring to God the Christ whom we have experienced.
We have often spoken about laboring on Christ in order to have something of Christ to exhibit in the meetings. Laboring on Christ includes our being willing to be cut into pieces as He was. If we labor on Christ in this way, then as the produce to be offered to God we shall have the Christ who was cut into pieces.
The burnt offering was to be washed with water by the offerer. “Its inwards and its legs shall be washed with water” (v. 9; cf. 13a). This surely does not mean that Christ, our burnt offering, was dirty. When the Lord Jesus was living and walking on earth, the Spirit within Him continually kept Him, preserved Him, protected Him, from becoming dirty. In our daily walk we need to have the same kind of experience. We need to experience Christ’s being cleansed, His being washed by the Holy Spirit. We are able to experience this because His cleansing Spirit is within us to cleanse us day by day, to keep us from being touched by the earthly dirt.
After the burnt offering was slaughtered, skinned, cut into pieces, and washed, it was burned on the altar. “The priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah” (v. 9). The Hebrew words translated “satisfying fragrance” literally mean savor of rest or satisfaction, that is, a savor giving satisfaction to the Deity, to whom it is offered, and, therefore, received with favor by Him. The phrase is a technical term for the fragrant steam arising from a burning sacrifice (S. R. Driver). The word “smoke” in this verse indicates that the offering was not burned quickly but slowly. As a result of this slow burning there was a satisfying fragrance, a savor that brought satisfaction, peace, and rest. Such a satisfying fragrance is an enjoyment to God.
When we offer a burnt offering in smoke to God, a fragrance well-pleasing to God will ascend to Him for His satisfaction and rest. Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet acceptance to us. This is the significance of the burnt offering.
The burnt offering denotes Christ’s being absolute for God’s satisfaction. The way to satisfy God with sweetness, peace, and rest is to live a life that is absolutely for God. Since we cannot live such a life, we must take Christ as our burnt offering. We need to lay our hands on Him to indicate that we desire to be identified with Him, one with Him, and to live the kind of life He lived on earth. Such a life includes being slaughtered, skinned, cut into pieces, and washed. By passing through all these processes, we shall have something to offer to God as our burnt offering — the very Christ whom we have experienced.
