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This week our parasha is Vayikra which translates to “And He Called” and covers Leviticus 1:1-5:19. This parasha contains five types of offerings to the Lord and begins the book of Leviticus, which outlines many commandments concerning the Priesthood. When we approach a section of Scripture like this parasha, I think there is a tendency to go “Well that’s interesting; time to move on.” There is a danger in reading Scripture from a 21st century mindset divorced from the historical and cultural context. This can cause us to think the sacrifices are interesting but irrelevant for believers today, or that these are barbaric practices of a less civilized time. But these offerings are central to the Mosaic Covenant and have continuing relevance for those under the New Covenant today in explaining the work of Messiah Yeshua.
I would like to begin with a brief discussion of the five types of offerings outlined in these chapters of Leviticus. First is the Burnt Offering, an offering made to the Lord on the altar. With this offering an individual would provide a spotless male ox, sheep, or goat and bring it to the priests. The person offering the sacrifice would then place their hands upon the animal’s head and confess they were guilty, deserving the punishment for their sins, death. But through the Lord’s love and mercy He made provision that this blameless animal would be offered in place of the individual, so that through the shedding of its blood, the guilty party’s sin would be forgiven. If a person was not financially able to offer an animal from their herds or flocks, then a dove or pigeon could be offered instead.
The second type of offering is a Grain Offering. This offering could not be made with yeast, since yeast in Scripture represents sin. The third type of offering is a Peace or Thanksgiving Offering. This offering was made when an individual wanted to give thanks to the Lord for something in their life. The fourth type of offering is the Sin Offering. This offering was made when an individual sinned unintentionally, there is no provision made for intentional sins. It is interesting to note that for the High Priest of Israel a Bull was required to be sacrificed for this type of offering, but a lay person could sacrifice a female goat. This higher level of sacrifice echoes through to the teaching of James that those in leadership are held to a higher standard. The fifth and final type of offering outlined in this parasha is the Guilt Offering. When a person was guilty of offering false testimony or making a rash oath then they were required to sacrifice this type of offering.
The offerings outlined in these chapters were the basis atonement under the Mosaic Covenant. Gone are offerings made on high places, now all sacrifices must be offered at the Tabernacle, and later the God-ordained Temple. With the greater revelation of God that came with the Mosaic Covenant, the standard for righteousness was also more clearly revealed. The severity of sin and its final outcome was remembered daily with the shedding of innocent blood. Day after day, year after year, sacrifices would be offered on the altar to provide a temporary covering for the damaging forces of sin. Untold numbers of animals would be sacrificed across the history of the Jewish People, with flawed human priests, in a temporary tabernacle, providing limited mediation and only temporary atonement.
But the entire sacrificial system was merely a shadow of what was to come. Later in Leviticus we’ll find the important principle that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. Adonai, the Creator and Ruler of the universe is a God of justice and fairness. The penalty for sin must be satisfied. As A.W. Tozer wrote, “Justice is not something God has. Justice is something that God is.”
But our God is more than justice; He is also perfect in love. The Lord in His love and mercy made provision for our people through the sacrificial system. A people called by God, having no merit of their own, were chosen to experience His blessings, and through this people all the nations of the world would be blessed as well.
Under the Mosaic Covenant there were limits to closeness with the Lord. Degrees of separation were created in the Temple, and the sacrifices we read in Vayikra had to be offered again and again, showing the penalty for sin had not been truly satisfied. When we read the Torah there is this deep theme woven throughout, a longing for something better to come; promises of God partially fulfilled but not yet completely – all pointing to something greater. We are convicted by the Law that we have sinned, that we have fallen short, and through the sacrifices we see the penalty for our sins, death. The whole of the Torah and the Tanakh speaks to a longing for something more permanent, something truly lasting, a deeper connection to the Lord that goes beyond the Mosaic Covenant and the barriers it contains, something that truly makes us blameless.
In Vayikra the cycle of sin, sacrifice, and atonement through the offerings continued from one generation to the next. This cycle continued without change until the promises of God were fulfilled in the promised Messiah, prophesied throughout Scripture. While Israel in the First-Century expected a conquering victorious Messiah to save them from Roman oppression, they instead received a Messiah who conquered foes even more powerful: Satan, Sin, and Death. Innocent animals were still being offered in the Temple during Yeshua’s day, but something revolutionary was about to take place. With the shedding of the blood of the sinless Son of God, Messiah Yeshua, the cycle of sin was at last broken. This meant that permanent atonement was now available to all, starting with the Jewish People and extending to all the nations of the Earth.
In the atoning work of Messiah Yeshua the love of God is made known and His justice satisfied. Yeshua Himself said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is because of the great love of God that we have not received the punishment we deserve, but rather have been saved and redeemed. The Law of God reveals that we all stand condemned for our sins but John 3:17 informs us that the Messiah was not sent to condemn, but to save fallen humanity through the shedding of His own blood. As the prophet Isaiah declared, He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, with the punishment we deserved falling upon Him. So through His death, through the shedding of His blood, He interceded for us all, and through accepting that sacrifice we have been made righteous. This is the Good News that we preach and its roots are here in the pages of Torah.
This parasha has additional lessons to teach us beyond Yeshua’s atonement. Just as those under the Sinai Covenant would confess their sins, by placing their hands on the innocent animal about to be sacrificed, so we must acknowledge our own sins, the fact we cannot save ourselves and accept the sacrifice of the Messiah, the Innocent One. The way for salvation has been ordained by Adonai and we dare not presume we know better than the Creator of the universe. The Jewish people were commanded to only offer sacrifices at the Tabernacle, under the specific instructions Adonai laid forth. So too in our day, He has given us specific instructions. The only way to be reconciled to God, to have permanent atonement, and to be transformed into a Temple of the Living God, is through Messiah Yeshua. As Peter boldly declared to the assembled crowd in Acts 4: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This is the plain truth of Adonai, revealed to all humanity clearly in His Word and made known through His Son. The name of our parasha means “And He Called”. The Lord is still calling us to Himself. Calling us to be washed in living waters, calling us to be transformed and restored through His sacrifice. If you have not accepted His call through the perfect sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua, make today the day you answer. May the Lord move each of us to an even deeper appreciation and understanding of His Word and may this parasha remind us of the high cost of sin.