But Did You Bring Your Goat to Church?
In Leviticus this week, we’re reading about the offerings and sacrifices that were part of Israel’s worship in the tabernacle. The opening chapters of this book are thick with details and a little overwhelming to sort through. Wine, grain, animals, priests. Lots of fire, lots of blood.
People could bring different kinds of offerings and sacrifices to the tabernacle, but the sacrifices involving animals share the same basic formula. In his book, A House for My Name, Peter Leithart identifies five steps or components that were part of these sacrifices: the laying on of hands, the death of the animal, the presentation of the blood, fire, and a meal.
In the Old Testament, to lay hands on someone was to appoint them to a particular job or position. When the Levites were set apart to serve as priests in the tabernacle, this was done by the laying on of hands. Similarly, Leviticus 1:4 says, “He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.”
In these sacrifices, the job being given to the animal was that of a substitute who would make atonement for sin. A sacrifice was necessary because someone had sinned, and in order for the sinner to draw near to God, his sin must be dealt with. When a person brought an animal to the tabernacle and placed his hands on its head, he was appointing that animal as a substitute who would bear the penalty for his sin and make it possible for him to draw near to God.
Not only that, the substitute had to be perfect. You couldn’t just bring any old animal from the herd: it had to be one without blemish. The substitute could have no spot or defect.
After the sinner laid his hands on the head of the animal, he had to kill it at the entrance to the tent of meeting - the front porch of God’s house. He couldn’t come any closer until this step was complete. Then, the priests would splash the animal’s blood on different pieces of furniture in the tabernacle. The blood that was shed to cover sin had to be displayed.
This might remind you of the Passover story, when each Israelite family was told to slaughter a lamb and to put its blood on the door frames of their houses. Similarly, when sacrifices were made in the tabernacle, the blood had to be displayed in certain areas of God’s house.
Next, part or all of the flesh was burned on the courtyard altar. The Hebrew word that is translated “burned” literally means “to turn into smoke.” You might remember from the last chapter of Exodus that after the tabernacle was finished, God’s glory came and filled it. A cloud rested above the structure during the day, and the cloud was filled with fire at night.
So, when a sacrifice was burned on the altar, it “turned into smoke” that rose up to join the cloud of God’s glory above the tabernacle. The Scriptures tell us this was a “pleasing aroma” to God. Maybe it was even like the smell of an enticing meal, wafting through the house, drawing him to the table.
Finally, every animal sacrifice concluded with a meal. In A House for My Name, Leithart writes that the end, the goal and conclusion, of all these steps was a fellowship meal with God. Depending on the type of sacrifice, different parties shared in this meal. Sometimes all the meat was put on the altar - the whole portion went on God’s plate. Usually it was shared between God and the Levites. Sometimes, the priest, the person who brought the offering, and the Lord all ate together. Whatever the type of sacrifice, when someone brought an animal to the tabernacle, the goal was restored fellowship with God, which culminated in a meal.
When the time came for Jesus to give his life as a sacrifice, he began with a meal. On the night before he died, he took bread, gave thanks for it, and passed it around to his disciples, saying “This is my body, which is given for you.” And then he passed around a cup of wine, and told them, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
When we take communion, we are sitting down to a meal with God. But I bet you’ve never brought your finest goat to church. And you may have noticed, there isn’t a butcher set up outside our doors or an altar in the hallway. That’s because when we come to the table, when we sit down for a fellowship meal with God, we’re saying that Jesus took care of those first four steps for us. We’re saying he is the spotless lamb, the perfect substitute, who bore the penalty for our sins and restored our covenant with God.
We’re saying his blood speaks for us. Hebrews 9 says that after Jesus died, he went into the heavenly tabernacle - the prototype for the one Moses built - and presented his blood. Splashed across the furniture of heaven, there is eternal proof that in one day, Jesus made a sacrifice that has purified and perfected for all time those who are covered by it. All of heaven sees it and recognizes his work as superior and sufficient.
Unlike the animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant, the body of Jesus was not burned on the altar, probably because he was going to need it when he rose from the dead. However, like the smoke that rose from the altar, Jesus also ascended. He rose up to join God in his glory. Ephesians 5:2 says his death was “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Or, as the KJV puts it, “a sweetsmelling savour.”
Whenever we eat this meal, we proclaim that Jesus accomplished all these things. We proclaim it to ourselves, to each other, to whatever spiritual powers might be looking in. We proclaim that we are drawing near to God through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ and that we have eternal fellowship with God through him alone. We approach his table humbly, gratefully, and confidently. We sit down to the meal that will sustain us forever, and we bless the hands that prepared it.
*This post leans heavily on material from Peter Leithart’s book, A House for My Name, which can be purchased here.
