Leviticus 1:3-17
Our friend, Leviticus
When I entered into ministry, my aunt (a retired Presbyterian Minister), graciously passed along her set of Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. “It’s a complete set,” she told me, “minus Leviticus. But you’ll rarely, if ever, preach on Leviticus.” She’s not wrong, and yet, we cannot dismiss Leviticus altogether. Read it, and you’ll find that the Levitical Code informs much of what we read in the New Testament.
Leviticus gives life and order and expectation to what is set out in Exodus. While full of rules and rituals, dos and don’ts, at the heart of this “Priestly Manual” is a question: how might I present myself to God? Today’s lesson asks that we consider this question, in conversation with the practice of sacrifice. Without backyards full of bulls and nearby trees full of turtledoves, how are we to present an offering pleasing to the Lord?
Sacrifice: Good or bad?
If you’ve ever loved someone – a child, a parent, a spouse, a dear friend – then you have likely taken up the ancient spiritual practice of sacrifice in some form or fashion. Traditional marital vows dance around the practice, leaving out the reality that the occasional sacrifice of one’s time, one’s hobbies, one’s plans, even one’s cravings will be necessary sacrifices at some point in the shared life. Similarly, the practice of sacrifice undergirds the all-too-frequent comment soon-to-be-parents hear throughout pregnancy: “Your whole life is about to change.”
Of sacrifice, Frederick Buechner has written, “To sacrifice something is to make it holy by giving it away for love.” That is, there is a connection between sacrifice and love, whether it be in the context of our interpersonal relationships, or in the context of our relationship to the Divine.
In the ancient world, the practice of sacrifice was quite common and took on a very literal sense. Sacrifice was not a unique religious practice to Israel, but one that cultures across the Ancient Near East practiced, as well. We might think of sacrifice in two ways: 1) As a gift to God, and 2) as a form of taxation. Let’s briefly consider these two understandings:
When thought of as a gift, sacrifice could be understood as an expression of thanksgiving. A deity has been good to you? Good time for a sacrifice. It might also be understood as a tool to incentivize a deity. Is there something over which you are longing? Something over which you need divine help? Good time for a sacrifice. It might also be thought of as a mode of appeasing a deity. Feeling as though you’ve upset a god? Need to make amends? Good time for a sacrifice.
When thought of as a form of taxation, on the other hand, sacrifice functioned as one’s “dues” in the religious life.
No matter how the practice was viewed, it was believed to create some connection or tie between the human and the holy. For the Israelites, the practice of sacrifice offered an opportunity for the laity to participate in worship and to take an active, participatory role in the covenantal relationship with God.
Leviticus 1:3-17 unpacks, quite thoroughly, the practice of whole animal sacrifice, which was one of several modes of sacrifice (the others include grain offerings, well-being offerings, and sin offerings, which you can read about in the subsequent chapters of Leviticus). The instructions are specific and don’t leave much wiggle room for the laity. I invite your pause here to consider the details and requirements outlined in Leviticus 1:3-17.
Important to note, however, is that specifics aside, the sacrifice was responsive to the covenantal relationship established by God. God’s grace, God’s love, and God’s desire for relationship preceded sacrifice. In this, I’m reminded of baptisms and our claim that before and beyond anything we do (or don’t do), God comes to us. Furthermore, I’m reminded of God’s Table, which has a perpetually open seat for us. We may not engage in the practice of burnt offerings, but we do respond to God’s covenantal love somehow, someway, as we are able, in hopes of communicating our own devotion and commitment to God.
The constant
Throughout Scripture, we see a shift in how individuals or bodies of people respond to God and engage with God — burnt offerings eventually take less of a role, whereas song and prayer remain central. Who we worship, however, does not change. And God’s desire for our/your worship, also does not change. And thus, we’re left considering, how might we give something to God as an expression of our love of God and as an act of gratitude for God’s love for us?
Questions for reflection on Leviticus 1:3-17
- How do you define sacrifice?
- What items in your life are most prized? Do they interfere at all with your ability to make central your relationship with God?
- What is one sacrifice you can make this week, out of love for God?
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