Vayikra
This torah portion is divided into two major sections: The 1st section deals with the Olah (Burnt), Minchah (meal/grain), and Sh’lamim (peace) offerings- these three offerings were thematically connected by the phrase “a fire offering”. The 2nd section deals with the Chatat (sin) and Asham (guilt) offerings connected by the phrase “and it shall be forgiven”. The major difference between these offerings is that the first three offerings were voluntary offerings (individually) whereas the last two offerings were mandatory. Note this, the offerings that were voluntary, allowed the person choices in what to offer. In the case of the mandatory offerings, the choice of what to offer depended on the sin and also who you were –a leader, high priest, or an individual. You had less choice in what to offer because you have sinned. YOUR MAIN CONCERN SHOULD BE FINDING OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO GET RIGHT WITH YHWH! Basically, these offerings describe two states people will find themselves in. You may either be in a state where you can freely worship YHWH or you may be in a state that requires you to deal with the sin or guilt issue before you can freely worship Him.
You can see on the chart that this is not the 1st time we see the Hebrew word “Olah”. In Genesis 8:20, Noah was found to be in right standing with YHWH. YHWH blessed Noah and told him and his sons to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth. Later, we see this Olah offering again in Genesis 22 with the “Akeida” or binding of Isaac and again in Exodus 18:12 with Moses’ stepfather Jethro and lastly in Exodus 24:5, where some of the children of Israel offered Olah offerings on the altar that Moses built. This was all before the sin of the golden calf. As one can see, the Olah and peace offerings were made by those in right relationship with YHWH. There was no emphasis on sin within the context of these sacrifices.
Let’s turn our attention to Messiah Yahshua, who is the ultimate Olah, laying down his life in complete service to YHWH the Father. Ephesians 2:6-8 states:
“For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah יהושע, who, being in the form of Elohim, did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men. And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, death even of a stake.”
Messiah Yahshua embodies the Olah offering, lifting up of oneself voluntarily and of freewill.
As we read Leviticus 1:3-4, these verses teach us about substitution…that the sacrifice was substituted for the worshiper. It also teaches us in the hidden level of Torah that there are acceptable and unacceptable sacrifices. We must ensure that our offerings and sacrifices are acceptable to YHWH. This is also taught by Paul in Romans 12:1-2:
“I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.
According to Ephesians 1:3-14, it is Messiah Yahshua who is our acceptable offering that enables us to be accepted in the eyes of Our Heavenly Father.
“Blessed be the Elohim and Father of our Master יהושע Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Messiah, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be set-apart and blameless before Him in love, having previously ordained us to adoption as sons through יהושע Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire, to the praise of the esteem of His favor with which He favored us in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of His favor, which He has lavished on us in all wisdom and insight, having made known to us the secret of His desire, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him, to administer at the completion of time, to gather together in one all in Messiah, both which are in the heavens and which are on earth, in Him, in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being previously ordained according to the purpose of Him working all matters according to the counsel of His desire, for us to be the praise of His esteem – those having first trusted in Messiah, in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your deliverance, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Set-apart Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His esteem.”
Also listed in Leviticus 1:4 is a procedure that allows the offering to become acceptable on behalf of the worshiper…it is when the worshiper lays his hands on the head of the offering. We see this later in Leviticus during Yom Kippur when the priest lays his hands on the head of the scapegoat, confessing the sins of the people of Israel. In this manner, the sins of the people are symbolically transferred to the offering. Therefore, we can conclude that the laying of hands on the offering is a transferal process. Although the Olah is not a sin sacrifice (in the strictest sense of the word), perhaps, in a symbolic way, this procedure shows that the worshipper transfers himself in some manner to the sacrifice, thereby making it acceptable on his behalf. This seems to be the implication when the ram is substituted for Isaac in Genesis chapter 22.
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all, like sheep, went astray, each one of us has turned to his own way. And יהוה has laid on Him the crookedness of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment. And as for His generation, who considered that He shall be cut off from the land of the living? For the transgression of My people He was stricken.” Isaiah 53:5-8.
Here we see this concept of “laying on” in that this verse shows the YHWH has “laid on him (Yahshua) the iniquity of us all. Let’s see where this is linked in the apostolic scriptures
“…to this you were called, because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth, who, being reviled, did not revile in return; suffering, did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His body on the timber, so that we, having died to sins, might live unto righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your lives.” 1Peter 2:21-25.
We also know that not only is Yahshua the prince of peace but also the ultimate peace offering. It is the sacrifice of Yahshua that secures peace between sinful man and a Holy God.
Colossians 1:13-20 “…who has delivered us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the reign of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, who is the likeness of the invisible Elohim, the first-born of all creation. Because in Him were created all that are in the heavens and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or rulerships or principalities or authorities – all have been created through Him and for Him. And He is before all, and in Him all hold together. And He is the Head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that He might become the One who is first in all. Because in Him all the completeness was well pleased to dwell, and through Him to completely restore to favor all unto Himself, whether on earth or in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of His stake.”
Yahshua is the offering of peace that brings us into peaceful relationship with YHWH. I’ll throw in one more connection- In Leviticus 3:6 it states that the Sh’lamim offering must be unblemished. This requirement also existed for all of the sacrifices. Yahshua’s disciple Peter makes the connection of Messiah and Leviticus in showing that the unblemished state of the offering was a picture of Messiah Yahshua, who was sinless. The physically perfect animal was a picture of the perfect Son of Elohim.
“…knowing that you were redeemed from your futile way of life inherited from your fathers, not with what is corruptible, silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, foreknown, indeed, before the foundation of the world, but manifested in these last times for your sakes, who through Him believe in Elohim who raised Him from the dead and gave Him esteem, so that your belief and expectation are in Elohim.” 1 Peter 1:18-21
MAY YOU APPROACH/DRAW NEAR TO YHWH ELOHIM THROUGH HIS SON, MESSIAH YAHSHUA, THE “LAMB” OF YHWH…
*REFERENCE: TONY ROBINSON’S TEACHINGS