Levitical Offerings and Sacrifices

By Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Th.M., Ph.D.
Founder/Director, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California

The five special offerings outlined in Leviticus one through seven are a guidebook to a relationship with God. These sacrifices were indicative of the state of one’s heart, a representation of obedience to God and faith in the sacrifice to come. The perfect fulfillment of these offerings is the Lord Jesus Christ Who sacrificed Himself to redeem us to God, Hebrews 9.26 and 10.7-12.

Burnt offering, Hebrew olah meaning ‘to go up.’ The name indicates the whole offering went up in smoke. This is the oldest of the offerings, found as early as the book of Genesis. This was a voluntary offering in which the worshiper devoted his whole offering ¾ all of it ¾ to God through the fire. The underlying purpose of the burnt offering was to secure atonement for sins, but the immediate purpose was to express total dedication to God. Hence, the burnt offering is symbolic of the sanctification of the whole person in self-surrender to the Lord.
Meal offering, Hebrew korban minchah meaning ‘to give a present’ in the context of giving a gift to gain the favor of a superior. The basic concept is that of a present, Genesis 32.13,18. The basic content of the meal offering was usually wheat or barley. Often, the meal offering is mentioned in conjunction with the burnt offering and the two offerings are closely connected; see Joshua 22.23,29; Judges 13.19,23; 1 Kings 8.64; 2 Kings 16.13. The meal offering was the only bloodless offering; however, a blood offering of some type usually accompanied it; see Leviticus 23,9-14, Numbers 15.1-17 and Ezra 7.17. It was offered to God in thanksgiving and then given to the priest for the purpose of ministry. The meal offering represents the fruit of that sanctification.
Peace offering, Hebrew zebach shlamim, meaning ‘sacrifices of peace (pl.),’ was a voluntary thanksgiving offering. There were three motivations for the peace offering:
- Giving thanks, Leviticus 7.12-15 and 22.29, an acknowledgement of God’s deliverance or blessing bestowed as an answer to prayer, see Psalms 56.12-13 and 107.22.
- A votive offering involved making a vow, see Leviticus 7.16.
- A free will offering expressed devotion of thanksgiving to God for some unexpected blessing, see Leviticus 7.16 and 22.17-20. This offering denotes the blossoming of the possession and enjoyment of saving grace.
Sin offering, Hebrew chattath means ‘expiation or missing the mark.’ This was a mandatory offering for sins done unwittingly or unintentionally for sins committed through ignorance, error or oversight, rising out of human infirmity or from the weakness of the flesh. The key result of the sin offering was forgiveness.
Trespass offering, Hebrew asham, carries the concept of guilt and moal, ‘a violation.’ This offering is often referred to as a trespass, reparation or guilt offering. The sin offering focused on the sin itself, while the trespass offering focuses our attention on the practice of sin. With this offering the emphasis is on the harmful effects of sin; therefore, it requires confession, compensation and restitution for the wrong done.