50 Days of Wisdom

In the book of Leviticus chapter 1, the people of Israel were given sacrifices that they had to offer that were related to sin. And one of those offerings was the burnt offering. Now, the burnt animal offering is the most general of all sacrifices. It had the sweet-smelling aroma. But the burnt offering symbolized the essential features of atonement. In this sacrifice, the Lord was saying to the people of Israel way back then that human righteousness isn't enough to cover the penalty of their sin. And this sacrifice symbolically demonstrated that point. What is this sacrifice saying? That the sacrifice that God requires for payment of sin must be pure, perfect, sinless, and blameless. In other words, the offender is guilty, but the atonement, the payment for their sins, must come from one who is innocent. It's a wonderful picture because no animal is guilty of sin. And so here is the picture of a sacrifice that is required for the guilty sinner, a sacrifice that is innocent, without sin. That's why Peter states that we have been provided with a literal sacrifice, a substitute who is without blemish in Christ. The lamb without blemish points to the active obedience of Christ, which provided for God a perfect, sinless, holy, righteous life, demonstrated to everybody so it could be seen. The second aspect of the burnt offering: "He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf." Literally, the sinner would come up to the sacrifice, and they would put their hands on the head of that sacrifice, symbolically leaning on it with full weight, a symbol of transferring guilt to the substitute. This is the nature of faith. It rests its trust and its salvation hopes fully on the substitute. Another element of the burnt offering in verse 5 is very interesting. The sinner is making the offering: "he shall slay the young bull before the Lord." The death of the substitute symbolized the horrendous, fatal penalty for sin; it demonstrated that divine justice was absolute and severe and required death. And it was personalized because the offender had to actually kill the animal himself. This sacrifice indicates that it's very personal. The sinner killed the animal with his own hands, making a vivid personal impression of his own responsibility for the death of the final substitute. It was your sins that put Christ to death on the cross. The next feature is that the priest splattered the blood on the altar. The middle of verse 5 says, "The priest shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of the meeting." This symbolizes the fact that the penalty for sin was death and that only death, symbolized by blood, could satisfy God. And then finally, in verse 6, a fifth component: the priests burn the entire sacrifice—all of it. This is the burnt offering, which has a sweet aroma in the nostrils of God. What does this symbolize? That God is pleased with the sacrifice, His wrath is placated, and peace and reconciliation have come. Isaiah 53:10 states, "It pleased the Lord to crush him." This sacrifice is an illustration of the righteousness that God requires. God requires a perfectly righteous sacrifice, which is symbolized in the burnt offering and the sacrificial system, and is realized in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived a life of perfect obedience, actively demonstrating the righteousness of God. He died a death of perfect obedience, thereby fulfilling the penalty of the Law on behalf of sinners. We don't have the righteousness that God requires. God has to give it to us. And He does that in the sacrifice of Christ. Something else to be said about this righteousness of God is that it's an everlasting righteousness. Therefore, we don't need to try to hold on to righteousness because it's not a righteousness that we can achieve, and it's not a righteousness that we can maintain. It's the righteousness of God that comes down from heaven. And that's why salvation is forever. So the key to this burnt sacrifice is this concept of righteousness. In order to enter heaven, we need a righteousness that is not our own. We need the righteousness of God. And it only comes to us from Christ, whom John the Baptist said was "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Repent and believe! GTY.org (TM11-2) - The Gospel Satisfies the Sinner's Need

Today's Wisdom

Day: 1058

October 14, 2026

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My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, "I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen!