JESUS IN LEVITICUS | UNVEILING CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Have you ever found yourself struggling to connect with certain parts of the Bible? The Book of Leviticus, for example, offers an extremely detailed guide to the Old Testament sacrificial system. Now, if you were a Levitical priest during this time, Leviticus would basically be your job manual, and you would probably refer to it more than any other book in all of Scripture. However, as New Covenant Christians, we were never bound by the ceremonial laws outlined in Leviticus and as a result, many believers struggle with this book, finding it not only daunting but extremely difficult to interpret and apply in our lives today.
But what if I told you that this seemingly irrelevant book is bursting with profound revelations of Jesus Christ? Friends, "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16)—even the book of Leviticus. Within these pages, we see that every sacrifice illuminates the character and mission of our Lord and Savior. Join me as we explore one of the most unlikely books of the Bible to bolster our faith and understanding of God's redemptive plan. Together, let’s unveil “Jesus in Leviticus.”
Hello everyone, my name is David Erhart and welcome to another Christianity Engaged video. My prayer is that this video will change not only how you view the Book of Leviticus, but the entire Old Testament. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His followers and, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:27) Friends, whenever you read the Old Testament, you should expect to see Jesus.
Leviticus, which means “matters of the Levites,” picks up right where Exodus left off. After delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, the Nation of Israel is wandering in the desert, waiting to be given the land God promised to Abraham. God has provided the Ten Commandments and instructions for building the tabernacle, and the remaining ceremonial, moral, and civil laws of the Old Covenant are still pending.
In Leviticus chapter one, Moses is in the tabernacle, and God is instructing him about five specific offerings. Now, the tabernacle, if you are unfamiliar, was a portable tent that served as Israel’s place of worship until Solomon would build the temple in Jerusalem. The tabernacle and the temple represent Jesus, who declared, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,” (John 2:19) thus, drawing a parallel between the temple (and the preceding tabernacle) and His body, both of which are essentially destroyed by His sacrifice on the cross and replaced by the New Covenant. In the new heaven and new earth, a loud voice from heaven will declare, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.” (Revelation 21:3)
The tabernacle had a single entrance because Christ is the Gate (John 10:9), the Door (John 10:7), and the only Way (John 14:6). The tabernacle had three main sections: the outer courtyard, the holy place, and the most holy place. The holy place, in which only priests were allowed, contained three things: the table of showbread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense. Guess what was on the table? Bread, wine and frankincense. The bread represents His body, the wine represents His blood (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20), and frankincense was one of the gifts given at His birth. (Matthew 2:11 Do you remember the town where Christ was born? Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread.” The lampstand signifies Jesus being the Light of the World (John 8:12), and the incense represents prayer. (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 8:3-4)
Between the holy place and the most holy place was a thick veil, signifying man’s separation from God due to sin. (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 6:23) When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). The high priest, and only the high priest, would enter the most holy place once a year, on the Day of Atonement. This is where God's presence dwelt on the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant, which contained three things: the Ten Commandments, representing His moral perfection (1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15), manna from heaven because He is the Bread of Life which comes down from heaven (John 6:35, 48-58), and Aaron’s staff, which budded ripe almonds to confirm Aaron’s God-chosen priesthood (Numbers 17). Christ’s priesthood, also chosen by God, is superior in every way. (Psalm 110; Hebrews 7)
The first seven chapters of Leviticus outline five specific sacrifices, all of which foreshadow Jesus Christ. The first three—the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering—are described as pleasant and sweet aromas to the Lord. They were free will offerings, just as Christ voluntarily laid down His life for you and me (John 10:18). In contrast, the sin offering and guilt offering were not described in the same pleasant terms. They were required, not voluntary, because it was necessary for Christ to suffer for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 24:7, 26, 44-47)
The first offering is the burnt offering which provided atonement for the people, yet it was distinct from the sin offering and guilt offering which we’ll talk about in a moment. The burnt offering required a male animal without blemish, referring to Christ’s moral perfection. The animal could be a bull, sheep, or goat, and if the family was poor, it could be a pigeon or a dove. Again, the burnt offering was a pleasing aroma, combining atonement with voluntary gifts of gratitude and praise.
The second offering is the grain offering, also known as the meal offering. It consisted of fine flour mixed with oil, salt, and frankincense, but without leaven or honey. Leaven (or yeast) often represents sin and pride, (1 Corinthians 5:6-8) which have no place in this offering. Though honey is sweet, it was used as a catalyst when yeast was limited, therefore, its exclusion emphasizes purity. The grain offering foreshadows Jesus as the Living Bread that came down from heaven (John 6:51). The oil represents the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13; Matthew 25:1-13) and the salt represents preservation and grace (Matthew 5:13; Colossians 4:6). Frankincense was entirely consumed in the offering, creating a sweet aroma that was pleasing to the Lord. Additionally, a portion of the offering was given to the priests as their wages. Thus, the grain offering beautifully portrays Christ's sinless life and provision for His people.
The third offering is the peace offering, also known as the fellowship offering. Similar to the burnt offering, it required an animal without defect, though it could be a male or a female. Unlike the burnt offering, the entire animal was not consumed. Some of the offering was given to God, a portion was given to the priest who offered it, and everything remaining was to be eaten by the offerer and their family within a specified timeframe. It’s almost like you were required to throw a big party and have a barbeque. Thus, the peace offering was an offering of thanksgiving and praise, rather than confession and atonement, and it symbolized peace with God and fellowship with people.
The fourth offering is the sin offering, which dealt specifically with unintentional sins and sins committed in ignorance or weakness. This offering required the sacrifice of an animal, but unlike the peace offering, no oil or frankincense was used, highlighting its bitter nature. The sin offering was not about fellowship but underscores the seriousness of sin. A portion of the offering was eaten in the holy place by the priest who offered it, almost like the priest was bearing the iniquity on himself. The type of animal used for the offering varied depending on the occasion. On the Day of Atonement, the sin offering was brought into the most holy place. Now, the further inside the sacrifice was brought, the further outside the camp the body would be taken and burned, foreshadowing Jesus’ crucifixion outside the city gates (Hebrews 13:11-12). The sin offering emphasizes the gravity of sin and the necessity of a sacrificial atonement to reconcile with God.
The fifth offering is the guilt offering, also known as the trespass offering. This offering was also for unintentional sins, though it focused on those involving a breach of faith or wrongful acts that harmed another person. While the sin offering addressed sin in the presence of God, the guilt offering aimed to rectify the damage caused by the sin, focusing on restitution. It required the offender to pay back what was lost plus an additional fifth, and then offer a sacrifice. This offering underscores the importance of not only seeking forgiveness from God but also making amends with people for the wrongs we have committed, illustrating that true repentance involves both inward transformation and outward restitution.
As I was researching this topic, I found it shocking that the sacrifices outlined in Leviticus only covered unintentional sins or sins committed in ignorance or weakness. Under the Old Covenant, there was no offering that would atone for intentional, premediated sins like murder, idolatry, or adultery, all of which were punishable by death. The Nation of Israel was expected to follow the Law perfectly in order to maintain their part of the covenant, which consisted of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience as outlined in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. The author of Hebrews clarifies that even on the Day of Atonement, sacrifices were offered “for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” (Hebrews 9:7)
This is clearly evident in Psalm 51, where David, after committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, writes, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (16-17) David was the King of Israel. He could offer 1,000 burnt offerings but it wouldn’t make a difference. He knew he deserved death for what he had done and all he could do was plead for God’s mercy, which, of course, he received. Thus, the entire Levitical system was insufficient to truly address our sin problem, which shouldn’t really be a surprise. The author of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4) The entire system was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ, who perfectly upheld the Law and offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the atonement for all sin, intentional and unintentional, by establishing the New Covenant through His blood.
Friends, Jesus is the Tabernacle. Jesus is the High Priest. Jesus is the Burnt Offering. Jesus is the Grain Offering. Jesus is the Peace Offering. Jesus is the Sin Offering. And Jesus is the Guilt Offering. The entire Levitical system is a type and a shadow that points to Christ. (Hebrews 10:1) The fulfillment is better than the type; and Christ is so much better than the shadow. He is a better mediator and better priest, who offered a better sacrifice, under a better covenant, built on better promises.
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