| Church School Lesson: Up In Smoke |
"Up in Smoke"
March 23, 2025
Background: Leviticus 1:1-17; 6:8-13; Print: Leviticus 1:3-17;
Key Verse: Leviticus 1:9; Devotional: Romans 12:1-8
Leviticus 1:3-17 (ESV)
3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.
4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,
7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
8 And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar;
9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish,
11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar,
13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
14 “If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons.
15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.
16 He shall remove its crop with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes.
17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus Chapter 1 (Commentary)
1:2-9 In keeping with God’s perfect holiness, the burnt offering was to be perfect—an unblemished animal (1:3). The burnt offering was the most frequent of Israel’s offerings, to be offered by God’s priests every morning and evening (see 6:8-13). But its frequency in no way diminished its importance.The burnt offering could also be a voluntary offering brought by an individual in dedication or praise to God, which is the kind of offering spoken of here. The worshiper brought the offering and laid his hand on the animal’s head to signify that it was his substitute to make atonement for his sin (1:3-4). The offerer then skinned and cut up the animal for burning by the priests, who also sprinkled its blood on the altar (1:5-9). This was a messy affair. Atoning for sin is serious business.
The burnt offering was unique in that the entire sacrifice was consumed as a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord (1:9). The Hebrew word for the burnt offering means “to ascend.” The smoke from the fire ascended into God’s nostrils, so to speak, and pleased him. This was critical for Israel because pleasing a holy God by performing acceptable worship in his presence was a life-and-death matter to his people, as we will soon learn from the deaths of Aaron’s sons who violated God’s commands and paid the ultimate price for doing things their own way (10:1-3). God’s pleasure with and acceptance of the sacrifice also gave the worshiper the assurance that he, despite being a sinner, was accepted and forgiven in God’s holy presence.
1:10-17 One other feature of the burnt offering worth noting is that no Israelite was left out of giving it, no matter how poor he was. The most expensive offering came from the cattle herd (1:3), with a sheep or goat being next in order of cost (1:10). But those who could not afford either of these animals could offer turtledoves or young pigeons (1:14). Actually, poor people could bring birds for other offerings as well, which is what happened at Jesus’s birth when Joseph and Mary presented birds at the temple for his dedication (see Luke 2:21-24). They did this because the law of Moses in Leviticus 12:2-8 specified that the mother of a newborn was to offer both a burnt offering and a sin offering for her cleansing.