| How many offerings are listed in these first seven chapters? There are five. The burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering and the trespass offering. The order in which they are given speaks of Christ. However, when an Israelite wanted to approach God, he started with the last one, the trespass offering, and moved through to the first. There were three offerings a man might bring for the burnt offering-a young bullock unmarked in any way. Or he could bring a sheep or a goat (v. 10). If he was very poor, he could bring a pigeon. Poverty could never be used as an excuse for not doing what God wanted. The offering had to be done publicly before the door of the tabernacle. His offering had to be killed in front of everyone before being placed on the altar. It was also a voluntary offering. By doing this he was saying, 'Lord, I want my life to be wholly given over to you. As this animal is wholly burned on the altar, so I want my heart and life to be wholly yours.' He also had to lay his hand on the offering (v. 4) to be identified with it. In other words he was saying 'This offering stands for myself. It is a substitute for me.' Can you see Jesus Christ in all of this? No-one ever found a blemish in the life of Jesus. God himself said 'I am well pleased with this my Son'. God saw in Christ perfect obedience, inwardly as well as outwardly. Christ came to do the will of God. He came because he wanted to. The burnt offering had to die, so Jesus Christ laid down his life in the will of God for you and for me. Christ's one desire was to do the Father's will. Are we even half as willing as he was? What is the outward expression of our willingness? It is not a burnt offering today, but a life lived in obedience to God's will and the direction of the Holy Spirit. A PRAYER: Lord help me live according to your will today. | 
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