“Total Dedication To God”

God speaks to Moses at the Tent of Meeting and sets the basic requirement: offerings must be tame animals (cattle, sheep, or goats). If a bull is offered as a burnt offering (olah) it must be without defect; the offerer lays hands on the animal before it is killed, and the priests handle the blood at the altar. This offering served several related purposes: it was an act of worship and total dedication to God, a visible way to acknowledge dependence on and obedience to God’s covenant, and a means by which the community maintained right standing with God through ritual submission to his commands. The requirement that the animal be without defect and that the worshiper personally lay hands on it emphasized sincerity, purity, and identification with the offering.

Leviticus 1:1-5 Easy: So, the Lord called out to Moses from inside the Meeting Tent and said, “Tell the Israelites: When you bring an offering to the Lord, the offering must be one of your tame animals, it can be a sheep, a goat, or one of your cattle. “If you offer one of your cattle as a burnt offering, it must be a bull that has nothing wrong with it. You must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent where the Lord will accept the offering. You must put your hand on the animal’s head while it is being killed. So, the Lord will accept it as your burnt offering to make you pure. “You must kill the young bull in front of the Lord. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, will bring the blood to the altar that is near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will splash the blood on all four sides of the altar. 

Father God, help me to come before You with a sincere heart, offering my life in humble devotion. Teach me what it means to dedicate myself wholly to You, to confess what separates me from You, and to walk in obedience to Your ways. Love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.