Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

By my understanding, the offerings were made in the following order, with each of them intended to foreshadow a particular aspect of Christ's work:

Burnt offering
Meal offering
Peace offering 
Sin offering
Trespass offering

The burnt offering represented Christ offering Himself entirely up to God to do His will, even unto death. He is not seen here as bearing human sin, but as accomplishing the Father's will, glorifying Him, and vindicating the holiness and majesty of His throne. Ephesians 5:2 depicts it as a "sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour."

The meal offering foreshadowed Christ as the perfect and sinless man. There was no shedding of blood in this offering, as it speaks of the perfections of Christ's person and life, rather than of His death. The fine flour pictures His sinless humanity, with its evenness of moral qualities. The oil pictures the grace and power of the Holy Spirit that characterized His life. The frankincense is emblematic of the sweetness and fragrance of His person and life.

The peace offering represented the communion and fellowship between God and man that Christ was incarnated to perfect, with separate parts of the offering being designated for God (the blood, the fat, and the kidneys) and for the priests (the breast and shoulder).

The sin offering represented God's judgment of sin. Its special feature was the fact of the whole remaining portion of the sacrificial bullock being burned upon the ground outside the Israelite camp, which foreshadowed Christ bearing God's entire judgment for sin outside the city of Jerusalem.

In the trespass offering, sin was viewed as an offense against the government of God. The adding of a fifth part to the offering represents Christ's sacrifice bringing more glory to God and more blessings to man than existed before the sin was committed.

July 03 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report