The first two chapters of Leviticus launch right in with detailed “how tos” of how the early Hebrews were to make offerings to the Lord. The more basic information was already covered in the book of Exodus, so now we find ourselves in an almost bewildering amount of detail about burnt offerings (bulls, sheep, goats, pigeons) and offerings made out of grain. On the surface, it appears to be religious instruction from a bygone age, practices that even the Jews no longer follow nowadays. So what principles are there for us as God-followers in 2017?
The main thing that immediately stands out to me in these chapters is that the things sacrificed in these offerings were things that otherwise would have been used as food. So there was a cost involved: the people had to “waste” food that would otherwise have fed their family. I see two principles behind this:
1) the people were demonstrating their dependence on God and not just on food that they’d raised for themselves. They were willingly giving up food to demonstrate their commitment to obeying God.
2) the people were demonstrating that atonement for sin (and relationship with God) was even more important than food for physical survival.
These same principles are important today. Am I willing to tithe my income to God, even if I feel I don’t have a lot to spare? Am I willing to observe sabbath rest, even though working seven days a week would give me more income? Do I care more about dealing with sin and having relationship with God than about having a good reputation in the world's eyes and avoiding any pain or persecution that might come as a result of my faith?
Yes, these first two chapters of Leviticus are about old sacrificial rituals... but I think that they are also a reminder about determining our priorities in life.
