레위기 Chapter 1

Translation: ESV

1

The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,

Key Message

God himself calls his people and teaches them the way of holy worship.

▸Leviticus opens with God speaking to Moses not from Sinai but from the tent of meeting (tabernacle).

Leviticus opens with God speaking to Moses not from Sinai but from the tent of meeting (tabernacle). This follows directly from Exodus 40, where the tabernacle was completed and God's glory filled it. The scene demonstrates that God dwells among his people and teaches them the proper manner of worship. The verb 'called' reveals the intimate, personal relationship between God and Moses.

Related Verses

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
2

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

Key Message

Worship offered to God must flow from a willing heart and is open to all people.

▸God presents the offering (qorban) as a voluntary act, not a command.

3

If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.

Key Message

The offering brought to God must be the very best, foreshadowing the unblemished sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

▸The burnt offering had to be a 'blemish-free' (tamim) male.

4

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Key Message

The laying on of hands illustrates the principle of substitution—the sacrifice bears the offerer's sin, foreshadowing God's way of salvation.

▸The laying on of hands (semikah) is the central ritual symbolizing the identification of the offerer with the sacrifice.

5

Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Key Message

Presenting blood is an act of returning life to God, foreshadowing the atonement completed by the blood of Christ.

▸It is significant that the offerer himself—not the priest—slaughtered the animal.

6

Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,

Key Message

Genuine worship is not a formality but an expression of dedication requiring effort and sincerity.

▸The process of dismembering the burnt offering—performed by the offerer himself—was laborious work, showing that worship is not a formality requiring no effort.

7

And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

Key Message

The fire of God's presence must burn without ceasing; our worship and devotion must likewise remain fervent.

▸The altar fire was originally sent by God himself at the tabernacle's dedication (Lev 9:24), and keeping this holy fire burning continuously was the priests' duty.

8

And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar.

Key Message

The burnt offering is a sacrifice of total dedication, giving everything to God and keeping nothing back for oneself.

▸Placing the dismembered parts in order on the altar shows that the burnt offering is a systematic and orderly act of worship.

9

its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Key Message

Worship and dedication offered from a sincere heart become a pleasing aroma to God, fully realized in the perfect sacrifice of Christ.

▸Washing the entrails and legs with water symbolizes inner purity.

10

"If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish,

Key Message

God's worship is not the exclusive domain of a particular class; everyone may approach God according to their means.

▸For those who could not afford a bull, a sheep or goat was permitted as a burnt offering.

11

and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

Key Message

Worship offered to God must follow the way God himself prescribes; worship done arbitrarily is not true adoration.

▸The specification of the north side of the altar emphasizes order and exactness in worship.

12

And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar.

Key Message

Worship offered to God depends not on the size of the offering but on the sincerity of heart and obedience in following God's prescribed way.

▸The same procedure applied for cattle is now applied to sheep and goats.

13

but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Key Message

Worship offered from genuine dedication becomes a pleasing offering to God regardless of circumstances or scale.

▸The same closing expression as verse 9 confirms that the burnt offering of sheep and goats equally becomes 'a pleasing aroma,' just like that of cattle.

14

"If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons.

Key Message

God's grace is equally open to the poor, and Jesus was born into the offering of the poor.

▸For the poor who could not afford cattle or sheep, a bird offering was permitted.

15

And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

Key Message

The manner of approaching God may differ according to circumstance, but the principle of atonement through blood-shedding is the same in every sacrifice.

▸The procedure for a bird offering differs from large animals—the priest wrings off the head instead of slaughtering it.

16

He shall remove its crop with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes.

Key Message

Offerings brought to God must be prepared in purity; what is impure must be removed from holy worship.

▸The crop and its contents of the dove had to be thrown to the ash heap on the east side of the altar.

17

He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

Key Message

Even the smallest and humblest offering becomes pleasing to God when given with a sincere heart; God looks at the heart, not the size of the gift.

▸Tearing the bird open by its wings without completely severing them is a procedure unique to the bird's anatomy.