Day 21 Reading Schedule : Leviticus 1-5

Leviticus 1 : The Law of Burnt Offerings and Their Offerings
[Overview]
This chapter naturally connects with the Exodus, which ended with the completion of the tabernacle, by mentioning the sacrifices that the Israelites had to offer at the tabernacle. In particular, this chapter deals with the regulations regarding the burnt offering, which is the most central of all sacrifices. The burnt offering was to slaughter the offering, sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar, and burn the rest on the altar. This was because the burnt offering, which was a sacrifice that burned the sacrificial offering, was an offering that offered its scent to God (vv. 1-13). In addition, if the offering on the altar leaked, the water bottle and the dirty parts were to be thrown into the ash pit on the east side, and the rest was to be burned in the same way. The burnt offering was the most common and oldest form of sacrifice in the sacrificial laws of the ancient Near East, and it was the basic and fundamental sacrifice of all sacrifices (vv. 14-17).

After the completion of the tabernacle, Jehovah called Moses from the tabernacle and gave him detailed instructions on the sacrificial ritual. Chapter 1 of Leviticus is the regulation of burnt offerings. In particular, it presents the regulations for sacrifices from the perspective of the people who offer sacrifices. Therefore, this chapter can be said to be an introduction to the religious practices of all Israel that must be observed before God.

Leviticus 2: The Law of Grain Offerings and Their Offerings
[Overview]
This chapter discusses the regulations regarding grain offerings. Grain offerings are the only bloodless offerings among the various sacrifices, and were mainly offered with burnt offerings or peace offerings. This chapter deals with grain offerings that were offered independently. When offered with fine flour, they were to be offered with incense (vv. 1-3), and when offered with baked or boiled grain, no leaven was to be added (vv. 4-10). In addition, all grain offerings were to be seasoned with salt (vv. 11-13), and the first heads of grain were to be roasted and offered with oil and incense (vv. 14-16). Grain offerings have the characteristic of being bloodless grain offerings, and were usually offered as a secondary offering to sacrifices that involved the shedding of blood. The grain offerings in this chapter were a sacrificial ritual that anticipated the agricultural life that would come after the settlement of Canaan, and could be offered at any time when the people wanted to express their gratitude and loyalty to God.
Chapter 2 of Leviticus mentions the law of the grain offering and its offering. While the burnt offering is a pastoral offering, the grain offering is an agricultural offering made of plant materials such as grain and olive oil. Through the grain offering, we come to realize that God has given us basic food and that we should give thanks to God for life as an offering.

Leviticus 3: The Law of Offering Peace Offerings and Their Offerings
[Overview]
This chapter is about the rules for peace offerings. Peace offerings are usually offered along with burnt offerings, and are offered to symbolize the fellowship between God and man, or between man and man. The peace offering sacrifices offered to God could be offered according to each person’s circumstances, including cows (verses 1-5), sheep (verses 6-11), and goats (verses 12-17). In all cases, they had to be without blemish. The priest laid his hands on the offering and sprinkled its blood on all sides of the altar, then mainly took the entrails and the fat around them and burned them to offer a burnt offering, and the remaining meat was shared and eaten at the communal meal held after the offering.
Peace offerings are animal sacrifices that are offered along with burnt offerings, and are an offering of thanks and gratitude for God’s grace. The animals that could be offered to Jehovah as sacrificial offerings for this peace offering were cows, sheep, and goats, and there was no difference between male and female. However, it had to be an animal without blemish. This peace offering was a communal meal after the sacrifice, as it represented communion between God and the worshiper.

Leviticus 4: The Law of the Sin Offering and Its Offering
[Overview]
This chapter is about the regulations regarding the sin offering. The sin offering was an obligatory offering that had to be offered as an atonement ceremony for those who had broken God's law. The sin offering was offered in the same way as other sacrificial offerings in terms of form, but the type of offering differed depending on the status of the person offering it. First, when a priest committed a crime, a bull was offered (verses 1-12), and when the entire congregation of Israel committed a crime, a bull was offered (verses 13-21). However, in the case of the chieftain, a male goat was offered (verses 22-26), and for the common people, a lamb was offered (verses 27-35).
Leviticus 4 is about the regulations regarding the sin offering. The sin offering was an obligatory offering that anyone who had committed a crime had to offer. In particular, the method and offering of the sin offering differed depending on the person offering it. God required a special sacrifice from sinful humans, and in the Old Testament era, this was shown as the sin offering. And in the New Testament era, Jesus Christ made a holy and complete atonement for sinners with a single sacrifice of himself.

Leviticus 5: Sin Offering and Guilt Offering
[Overview]
This chapter records three cases in which sin offerings must be offered, and the regulations for the guilt offering, following the previous chapter. The sin offering is an offering to receive forgiveness for sins committed against God, and the guilt offering is an offering to receive forgiveness for sins committed against humans or holy things. A person who does not tell the truth as a witness, or who swears falsely unintentionally, or who touches an unclean thing, must offer a sin offering according to his financial ability (verses 1-13). In addition, a person who sins against the holy things of Jehovah or unintentionally violates one of the prohibitions must offer a guilt offering according to the prescribed regulations (verses 14-19). Both sacrifices were offerings to God, but the distinction was not clear in their actual application, so later sin offerings and guilt offerings were offered together without distinction.
Leviticus 5 records three types of crimes requiring sin offerings and the guilt offering. The laws for offering sin offerings and guilt offerings are the same, but the only difference is that in the case of a crime corresponding to the guilt offering, an additional compensation of one-fifth must be paid. Therefore, sin offerings and guilt offerings are topics that are dealt with in almost the same context.