Leviticus 1-4, Psalm 40

We're reading Leviticus 1-4 and Psalm 40 here on commuter Bible OT.

We're beginning the book of Leviticus, which basically means pertaining to the Levites.

As this book dives deeper, to the responsibilities of priests and the divine human relationship codified on Mount Sinai.

The Lord gives Moses instructions for offering different kinds of sacrifices to be made before the Lord,

allowing an impure people to be made holy by obedience to a perfect God.

We'll look at four kinds of offering today. The burnt offering is given with prayer and praise to seek God's face in favor.

The grain offering is generally offered alongside another offering.

The fellowship offering emphasizes fellowship with the Lord by having a communion meal.

Finally, the sin offering is given to a tone for sin that has been committed.

Leviticus 1-4

Then the Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.

Speak to the Israelites and tell them.

When an interview brings an offering to the Lord from the livestock, you may bring your offering from the herd or the flock.

If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to bring an unblemished male.

He will bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting so that he may be accepted by the Lord.

He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering so it can be accepted on his behalf to make a tonement for him.

He is to slaughter the bull before the Lord.

Aaron's sons, the priests, are to present the blood and splatter it on all sides of the altar that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Then he is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

The sons of Aaron, the priest, will prepare a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

Aaron's sons, the priests, are to arrange the pieces, the head and the fat on top of the burning wood on the altar.

The offerer is to wash its entrails and legs with water.

Then the priest will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

But if his offering for a burnt offering is from the flock, from sheep or goats, he is to present an unblemished male.

He will slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord.

Aaron's sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against the altar on all sides.

He will cut the animal into pieces with its head and its fat and the priest will arrange them on top of the burning wood on the altar.

He is to wash the entrails and legs with water.

The priest will then present all of it and burn it on the altar.

It is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present his offering from the turtle doves or young pigeons.

Then the priest is to bring it to the altar and will twist off its head and burn it on the altar.

Its blood should be drained at the side of the altar.

He will remove its digestive tract, cutting off the tail feathers and throw it on the east side of the altar at the place for ashes.

He will tear it open by its wings without dividing the bird.

Then the priest is to burn it on the altar on top of the burning wood.

It is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

When anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, it is to consist of fine flour.

He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it, and bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests.

The priest will take a handful of fine flour and oil from it, along with all its frankincense, and will burn this memorial portion of it on the altar.

A food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons.

It is the holiest part of the food offerings to the Lord.

When you present a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to be made of fine flour.

Either unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers coated with oil.

If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a griddle, it is to be unleavened bread made of fine flour mixed with oil.

Break it into pieces and pour oil on it. It is a grain offering.

If your offering is a grain offering prepared in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour with oil.

When you bring to the Lord the grain offering made in any of these ways, it is to be presented to the priest and he will take it to the altar.

The priest will remove the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is the holiest part of the food offerings to the Lord.

No grain offering that you present to the Lord is to be made with yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey as a fire offering to the Lord.

You may present them to the Lord as an offering of first fruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma.

You are to season each of your grain offerings with salt. You must not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God.

You are to present salt with each of your offerings.

If you present a grain offering of first fruits to the Lord, you are to present fresh heads of grain, crushed kernels roasted on the fire for your grain offering of first fruits.

You are to put oil and frankincense on it, it is a grain offering.

The priest will then burn some of its crushed kernels and oil with all its frankincense as a food offering to the Lord.

If his offering is a fellowship sacrifice and he is presenting an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present one without blemish before the Lord.

He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Then Aaron's sons, the priests, will splatter the blood on all sides of the altar.

He will present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a food offering to the Lord, the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins.

He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys.

Aaron's sons will burn it on the altar along with the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

If his offering as a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord is from the flock, he is to present a male or female without blemish.

If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he is to present it before the Lord.

He must lay his hand on the head of his offering, then slaughter it before the tent of meeting.

Aaron's sons will splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

He will then present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a fire offering to the Lord consisting of its fat and the entire fat tail, which he is to remove close to the backbone.

He will also remove the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat on the entrails, the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins, and the fatty lobe of the liver above the kidneys.

Then the priests will burn the food on the altar as a food offering to the Lord.

If his offering is a goat, he is to present it before the Lord.

He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the tent of meeting.

Aaron's sons will splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

He will present part of his offering as a food offering to the Lord, the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins.

He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys.

Then the priest will burn the food on the altar as a food offering for a pleasing aroma.

All fat belongs to the Lord.

This is a permanent statute throughout your generations, wherever you live.

You must not eat any fat or any blood.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses.

Tell the Israelites when someone sins unintentionally against any of the Lord's commands and does anything prohibited by them.

If the anointed priest sins, bringing gills on the people, he is to present to the Lord a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.

He is to bring the bull to the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord.

Lay his hand on the bull's head and slaughter it before the Lord.

The anointed priest will then take some of the bull's blood and bring it into the tent of meeting.

The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.

The priest is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting.

He must pour out the rest of the bull's blood at the base of the altar of burned offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering, the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins.

He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys, just as the fat is removed from the ox of the fellowship sacrifice.

The priest is to burn them on the altar of burnt offering, but the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and legs and its entrails and waste, all the rest of the bull.

He will bring to a ceremonially clean place outside the camp to the ash heap and must burn it on a wood fire.

It is to be burned at the ash heap.

Now, if the whole community of Israel airs and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly so that they violate any of the Lord's commands and incur guilt by doing what is prohibited,

then the assembly must present a young bull as a sin offering.

They are to bring it before the tent of meeting when the sin they have committed in regard to the command becomes known.

The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull's head before the Lord, and it is to be slaughtered before the Lord.

The anointed priest will bring some of the bull's blood into the tent of meeting.

The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain.

He is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting.

He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

He is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar.

He is to offer this bull just as he did with the bull in the sin offering.

He will offer it the same way.

So the priest will make a tonement on their behalf and they will be forgiven.

Then he will bring the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he burned the first bull.

It is the sin offering for the assembly.

When a leader sins and unintentionally violates any of the commands of the Lord his God by doing what is prohibited and incur his guilt or someone informs him about the sin he has committed,

he is to bring an unblemished male goat as his offering.

He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord.

It is a sin offering.

Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering.

The rest of its blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

He must burn all its fat on the altar like the fat of the fellowship sacrifice.

In this way the priest will make a tonement on his behalf for that person's sin and he will be forgiven.

Now if any of the common people sins unintentionally by violating one of the Lord's commands does what is prohibited and incurs guilt

or if someone informs him about the sin he has committed, then he is to bring an unblemished female goat as his offering for the sin that he has committed.

He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.

Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering.

He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

He is to remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the fellowship sacrifice.

The priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

In this way the priest will make a tonement on his behalf and he will be forgiven.

Or if the offering that he brings as a sin offering is a lamb, he is to bring an unblemished female.

He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.

Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering.

He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

He is to remove all its fat just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the fellowship sacrifice.

The priest will burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the Lord.

In this way the priest will make a tonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed and he will be forgiven.

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the Lord and he turned to me and heard my cry for help.

He brought me up from a desolate pit out of the muddy clay and set my feet on a rock making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear and they will trust in the Lord.

How happy is anyone who has put his trust in the Lord and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies?

Lord, my God, you have done many things.

Your wondrous works and your plans for us, none can compare with you.

If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told.

You do not delight in sacrifice and offering.

You open my ears to listen.

You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.

Then I said, see, I have come.

In the scroll, it is written about me.

I delight to do your will, my God, and your instruction is deep within me.

I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly.

See, I do not keep my mouth closed as you know, Lord.

I did not hide your righteousness in my heart.

I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation.

I did not conceal your constant love and truth from the great assembly.

Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me.

Your constant love and truth will always guard me.

For troubles without number have surrounded me.

My iniquities have overtaken me.

I am unable to see.

They are more than the hairs of my head and my courage leaves me.

Lord, be pleased to rescue me.

Hurry to help me, Lord.

Let those who intend to take my life be disgraced and confounded.

Let those who wish me harm be turned back and humiliated.

Let those who say to me, aha, aha, be appalled because of their shame.

Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.

Let those who love your salvation continually say, the Lord is great.

I am oppressed and needy.

May the Lord think of me.

You are my helper and my deliverer.

My God, do not delay.

Today's episode was narrated and orchestrated by me, John Ross, and co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

Thanks for listening and remember to trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding.

In all your ways, know Him and He will make your paths straight.

Amen.