The first seven chapters of Leviticus are titled "The Handbook of sacrifices." Not to get lost in reading this book you need to understand how it was structured.
First of all we have to start from the title of this book, as often happens in biblical texts, it is placed at the end instead of beginning as we would naturally think. In Leviticus 7:37 (numbering in the translation "new revised") we read: "This is the law of the Holocaust, oblation, sacrifice, atonement, sacrifice for sin, consecration and sacrifice of gratitude: the law The Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai on the day that he ordered the Israelites to submit their offers to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai. " Are then described the people of Israel five ways to make offerings to the LORD: THE HOLOCAUST
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- Oblation
- atonement for sin (involuntary)
- THE SACRIFICE OF CONSECRATION TO THE NEGLIGENCE OR ABOUT THAT 'THAT MUST BE LAID
- GRATITUDE OF THE SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING OR
the oblation is a slideshow of wheat or barley prepared in different ways. It 'the only sacrifice that does not include the death of an animal (nonoperative) and almost always accompanied with a sacrifice shedding of blood (bloody).
THE HOLOCAUST AND THE SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING have some aspects in common. For example, both are not sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins, but as it sacrifices of consecration to God In the first case was dedicated (burning on the altar) the victim of the offer completely to God, in the second case was presented to God ' offer bloodless (ie the tenth) combined with a sacrifice where the victim after doing burn fat and entrails on the altar, was partially eaten by the priest and partly by the family of sacrifices in the sacred place. These two sacrifices involving the shedding of blood, but only outside of the tabernacle of the altar in the region.
the sacrifice for sin is the fault was instead sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. That was a sacrifice for sin which only covered the sins involuntary. If this sin had involved the priest or the whole community, the victim's blood was shed from inside the tent of meeting before the curtain, if it had involved one of the leaders of the people or someone's blood was shed only near the altar. Sacrifice the fault was instead done in cases of embezzlement against a man or to God (chapter 5) provided for the repayment of debt and the victim's blood was shed only near the altar.
For all other sins "volunteers" to deliberate rebellion against God, there was no sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (LE16) and the sinner could only appeal only to the compassion of God (like David in Psalm 51: 1,3,16-17).
the annual feast of Atonement (LE16) was the only moment in which the blood of sacrifice beyond the curtain came directly to the presence of the Lord and watered the mercy seat that is the cover of the ark covering the law. At that time all the sins of the nation were forgiven (V.16) and removed through the desert for a scapegoat to Azazel.
The meat of the sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins to the priest remained as food except in cases where the victim's blood had entered the tent of meeting (6:17-23). The body of a victim that was completely burned outside the camp. In Hebrews 13:11-15 Jesus is compared to the body of the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement, which sanctifies the whole people. We too are encouraged to go to him and following his example, we too can be living sacrifices (Romans 12) offering to God our bodies to do good and to praise our lips and confess his name (Heb 13:15).
As we read in Hebrews 10, Christ came to replace all these "sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings which are offered under the law" (v. 8) who were not able to meet the justice of God ( except through faith in Christ to come) nor to relieve the conscience of the sinner from his sin.
by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified. (V. 14)