Outline
Ⅱ
The only life that is pleasing to God is the life that is a repetition of the life Christ lived on the earth; this is a life that experiences Christ in His experiences as the burnt offering—Lev. 1:9; John 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:9:
A
The burnt offering typifies Christ in His living a life that is absolutely for God and for God's satisfaction; the burnt offering also typifies Christ in His being the life that enables God's people to have such a living—Lev. 1:3; Num. 28:2-3; John 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; Heb. 10:5-10.
B
The word translated "burnt offering" denotes something that is ascending; this ascending refers to Christ (Lev. 1:3, 10, 14); the only thing that can ascend to God from earth is the life lived by Christ, for He is the unique person to live a life that is absolutely for God (John 6:38).
C
The burnt offering was "a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah" (Lev. 1:9); the Hebrew words translated "satisfying fragrance" literally mean "savor of rest or satisfaction"; a satisfying fragrance is a savor that brings satisfaction, peace, and rest; such a satisfying fragrance is an enjoyment to God.
D
The life of Christ within us is the reality of the burnt offering—this is a life of obedience, a life of submission, and a life of total dependence on God according to the principle of the tree of life—Phil. 2:8; John 5:19, 30; Heb. 5:8; 10:7:
１
Man's acting alone and independently apart from and outside of God is sin; God wants us to act according to His instructions in everything—Psa. 40:7-8; 1 John 3:4.
２
"Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall by no means enter into it" (Luke 18:17); God wants us to be like a little child all the time because He wants us to depend on Him all the time; self-confidence is the enemy of God-dependence.
E
By laying our hands on Christ as our burnt offering through the proper prayer, we are joined to Him, and He and we become one; as Christ lives in us, He repeats in us the life He lived on earth, the life of the burnt offering—Lev. 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:17; Gal. 2:20.
Morning Nourishment
Lev. 1:3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall present it, a male without blemish; he shall present it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah.9 But its inward parts and its legs he shall wash with water. Then the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a satisfying fragrance to Jehovah.
The only life that is pleasing to God is the life that is a repetition of the life Christ lived on earth. A life that experiences Christ in His experiences as the burnt offering is a God-pleasing life. Such a life is a delight to God.
The burnt offering signifies Christ not mainly for redeeming man’s sin but for living for God and for God’s satisfaction. As the sin offering, Christ is for redeeming man’s sin, but as the burnt offering, He is absolutely for living a life that can satisfy God in full…In the four Gospels He is presented as the One who is absolutely one with God. His divine attributes were expressed in His human virtues, and sometimes His human virtues were expressed in and with His divine attributes. When He was confronted, examined, and questioned by the evil, subtle opposers—the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians—during His last days on earth, at certain times His human virtues were expressed through His divine attributes, and at other times His divine attributes were expressed in His human virtues. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 82, 24)
Today’s Reading
The Hebrew word translated “burnt offering” literally means “that which goes up” and thus denotes something that ascends to God…The only thing that can ascend to God from earth is the life lived by Christ, for He is the unique person to live a life absolutely for God.After the burnt offering was slaughtered, skinned, cut into pieces, and washed, it was burned on the altar…The Hebrew words translated “satisfying fragrance” [in Leviticus 1:9] literally mean “savor of rest or satisfaction,” that is, a savor giving satisfaction to the Deity, to whom it is offered, and, therefore, received with favor by Him…(S. R. Driver). The word for burn in this verse literally means “cause to rise in smoke.” This indicates that the offering was not burned quickly but slowly. As a result of this slow burning, there was a satisfying fragrance, a savor that brought satisfaction, peace, and rest. Such a satisfying fragrance is an enjoyment to God. When we offer a burnt offering whole to God, a fragrance well pleasing to God will ascend to Him for His satisfaction and rest. Since God is satisfied, He will render His sweet acceptance to us. This is the significance of the burnt offering.
The way to satisfy God with sweetness, peace, and rest is to live a life that is absolutely for God. Since we cannot live such a life, we must take Christ as our burnt offering. We need to lay our hands on Him to indicate that we desire to be identified with Him, one with Him, and to live the kind of life He lived on earth. To lay our hand on the offering means that we are one with the offering and take the offering as being one with us. Hence, the laying on of hands makes the two parties one. We are joined to Him. We and He, He and we, become one. Such a union, such an identification, indicates that all our weaknesses, defects, shortcomings, and faults become His and that all His virtues become ours. This is not exchange—it is union.
We may realize that we are altogether unqualified and hopeless. This is our actual situation. But when we lay our hands on Christ, our weak points become His, and His strong points, His virtues, become ours. Furthermore, spiritually speaking, by such a union He becomes one with us and lives in us. As He lives in us, He will repeat in us the life He lived on earth, the life of the burnt offering…By laying our hands on Him, we make Him one with us, and we make ourselves one with Him. Then He will repeat His living in us. This is to offer the burnt offering. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 69, 39, 27-28)
Further Reading: Life-study of Leviticus, msgs. 3—9