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Sweet Savor
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Leviticus 1:1-17  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Leviticus 1 gives instruction on the whole burnt offering, which represents Christ's total devotion to God, revealing in broad strokes the ideal we are to strive for in our relationship with God. The burnt offering has four distinctive characteristics that set it apart from all others. To glean the most from it, it is essential that we remember that these characteristics all describe the same person but from different perspectives, much as the gospel accounts present four views of Christ, or as one would turn a piece of art or craftsmanship to inspect it from different angles. With each little turn, the viewer picks up a new feature that pleases or instructs. The four distinctive characteristics are: 1. It is a sweet savor to God, given not because of sin but out of sincere and heartfelt devotion. 2. It is offered for acceptance in the stead of the offerer. The animal represents the offerer. 3. A life is given, representing total devotion in every area of life. 4. It is completely burned up, also representing total devotion but from a different angle: that it was truly carried out. The animal was cut into four distinct parts, each signifying an aspect of Christ's character and life: The head represents His thoughts; the legs, His walk; the innards, His feelings; and the fat, His general vigor and health. Every part was put on the altar and totally consumed by the fire. The variety of animals sacrificed as burnt offerings identify additional characteristics: The bullock typifies untiring labor in service to others; the lamb, uncomplaining submission even in suffering; the goat, strong-minded leadership; and the turtledove, humility, meekness, and mournful innocence. John W. Ritenbaugh The Offerings of Leviticus (Part Three): The Meal Offering

Ephesians 5:2  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Notice that Paul says Christ has given Himself for us and that the offering he refers to is a sweet savor. Paul's reference, therefore, is not that Christ gave Himself for us as a sin offering but as one not involving sin: He was a burnt, meal, and peace offering. He gave Himself for us in the manner in which He lived His life. Even as Christ's sin offering is for us, and we find acceptance before God, satisfaction, and peace when we understand and believe that our sins are forgiven, so also is His life, as He lived it, for us. It is as though when God looks at us, He sees Christ! This is an incredibly wondrous aspect of His grace and part of the doctrine of our being "in Christ," that is, part of the spiritual body of which He is the Head. John W. Ritenbaugh The Offerings of Leviticus (Part Four): The Peace Offering

 

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