Leviticus, Sacrifice, and the Lord’s Supper
This meditation reflects on Leviticus 1-7 and the personal involvement required in Old Testament sacrifices. It connects those sacrifices to the atonement made through Jesus and calls believers to consecrate themselves as living sacrifices while partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
- God’s sacrificial instructions in Leviticus required personal participation and dedication.
- The Old Testament sacrificial system pointed ahead to the ultimate atonement through the Lamb of God.
- The Lord’s Supper is a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice and consecrate our lives to him.
By Lonetta McKee
The focus for the meditation today is derived from chapters 1-7 in the book of Leviticus. Here we read God’s explicit directives in minute detail, given through Moses, for how the Israelites were to offer sacrifices. They were not to be just mere bystanders. Rather, they were to become personally involved.
Personally Involved in Sacrifice
These instructions included such things as laying their hands on the head of the animal prior to beginning the ritual of sacrifice. The purpose for this, as explained by God, was to make it acceptable for their atonement. They were also solely responsible for the slaughtering of the animal and its preparation for presentation on the altar, where the actual sacrifice took place. This demanded a lot of time and dedication on the part of the one making the offering.
The Lamb of God and Our Living Sacrifice
The sacrificial system established in Leviticus pointed to the ultimate atonement for sins made available to us by the sinless Lamb of God. In addition, it is also a guide for us to follow today as we present our living sacrifice, which according to Paul, is our bodies.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1, New International Version).
This requires personal participation just as in the case of the Israelites. It involves intimate interaction, complete immersion of our entire being, total dedication, and single-minded focus on the one who allowed himself to be sacrificed on our behalf.
Consecrating Our Lives to Him
Just as the Israelites’ consecrated their sacrifices to God, we should use this time of commemoration of the Lord’s death to consecrate our lives to him. Paul admonishes us to do that very thing in 2 Corinthians 7:1: “Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness.” The AMPC (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition) translation uses the words, “bring our consecration to completeness.”
Old Testament sacrifices depended on the shedding of blood to provide temporary atonement for their sins. But praise God, as we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are assured of forgiveness of our sins through the cleansing blood of Jesus.
