Leviticus 1 – The Burnt Offering: A Call to Voluntary Surrender
The book of Leviticus opens with God speaking from the Tabernacle, giving Moses instructions on how the people may draw near through offerings. The burnt offering—entirely consumed by fire—symbolizes wholehearted devotion and surrender to the LORD.
Worship Begins with Sacrifice
Leviticus opens with the voice of God calling out from the newly constructed Tabernacle—not to display majesty, but to invite approach. The first message is about burnt offerings, the most complete and voluntary of all sacrifices. In this, we see the foundation of true worship: surrender, atonement, and access through blood.
✔ God speaks from the Tabernacle for the first time.
✔ The burnt offering is introduced—voluntary, entire, and pleasing.
✔ It may come from the herd, flock, or birds.
✔ The offerer lays hands on the animal before it is slain.
📖 Key Verse: “And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” – Leviticus 1:4
🔎 Atonement begins with identification—placing your need upon the sacrifice.
Leviticus Chapter 1 Overview
Leviticus 1:1–3 – A Voluntary Offering from the Heart
📖 Leviticus 1:1–3 – “If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord… he shall offer it of his own voluntary will…”
🔎 Worship that costs something:
🔹 The burnt offering was not mandatory—it came from a willing heart desiring deeper fellowship.
🔹 It had to be a male without blemish—symbolizing purity and strength.
🔹 This foreshadows Christ’s perfect, willing sacrifice (John 10:17–18).
➡️ Faith Insight: God desires our worship to be freely given, not forced. True devotion flows from love.
Leviticus 1:4–9 – The Process of the Offering
📖 Leviticus 1:4–5 – “And he shall put his hand upon the head… and he shall kill the bullock before the Lord.”
🔎 Identification and substitution:
🔹 Laying hands signified transfer of guilt and identification with the sacrifice.
🔹 The offerer killed the animal themselves—reminding them that sin has a price.
🔹 The priest sprinkled the blood—life poured out in sacred exchange.
📖 Leviticus 1:6–9 – The offering is skinned, cut, arranged, and completely burned.
🔹 The entire body was consumed—nothing held back.
🔹 The fire represented God’s acceptance and purification.
🔹 A “sweet savour” rose to the LORD—not because of the smell, but the obedience and sincerity it represented.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: The burnt offering teaches us to lay everything on the altar. God is pleased when we withhold nothing.
Leviticus 1:10–17 – From the Flock or the Birds
📖 Leviticus 1:10–13 – “And if his offering be of the flocks… he shall bring it a male without blemish.”
🔎 Equal access, different means:
🔹 Whether a bull, a sheep, or a bird—the heart mattered more than the wealth.
🔹 The poor could bring a turtledove or pigeon, and God still accepted it.
🔹 Every level of society could approach God through a personal, sacrificial act.
📖 Leviticus 1:14–17 – Instructions for bird offerings follow the same themes—blood, fire, and ascent.
➡️ Christ Connection: Jesus pointed to the sparrow, reminding us that even the smallest offering is seen by God (Luke 12:6).
Leviticus Chapter 1 - Deeper Study
Overview: Worship that Ascends
🔹 Theme: The path to God begins with voluntary, wholehearted sacrifice.
🔹 Focus: Drawing near through a burnt offering that is entirely consumed.
🔹 Outcome: A pleasing aroma rises to the LORD when worship is sincere and complete.
Key Takeaways
🔑 The burnt offering was not required—but it was desired.
🔑 God accepts offerings from all classes—rich or poor.
🔑 True worship involves cost, blood, and fire.
🔑 Atonement is made when we identify with the sacrifice.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 The male without blemish points to Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19).
🔮 The full consumption by fire foreshadows Christ giving Himself completely (Philippians 2:8).
🔮 The ascending smoke represents Jesus’ ascension and intercession (Hebrews 7:25).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Sacrificial System – Burnt offerings were the most frequent and most complete of all sacrifices.
📜 Voluntary Nature – This offering was about love and surrender, not sin alone.
📜 Temple Practice – These practices continued for centuries and foreshadowed the cross.
Final Reflection: The Altar of the Heart
Leviticus begins by calling God’s people not just to ritual, but to relationship—not just to law, but to love. The burnt offering teaches us that the way to intimacy with God is through voluntary surrender, complete sacrifice, and holy fire.
📌 What part of your life is still off the altar?
📌 Will you give Him your best—willingly and entirely?
📌 Does your worship cost you something, or is it leftovers?
🚀 Put it all on the altar—the flame of God’s presence waits.
Laws for Burnt Offerings
Lev 1:1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
Lev 1:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.
Lev 1:3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
Lev 1:4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
Lev 1:5 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 1:6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
Lev 1:7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
Lev 1:8 And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
Lev 1:9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 1:10 And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
Lev 1:11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
Lev 1:12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
Lev 1:13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 1:14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
Lev 1:15 And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:
Lev 1:16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:
Lev 1:17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Date Written
1445–1405 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
17