SABBATH THOUGHT 2025-09-06—THE FEASTS & BURNT OFFERINGS

May God bless you on His Sabbath day!

Blessings from God are promised to those who observe the holydays of the Feast of Ingathering (the autumn holydays) but especially the Feast of Tabernacles:

DEUTERONOMY 16:13, 15 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. … 15 “Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.

At least in ancient times, a major requirement for all of God’s Feasts was to give an ‘offering made by fire’:

LEVITICUS 23:37 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a [sin and trespass] sacrifice and drink [peace] offerings, everything on its day–

Did you know that all Feast days required offerings? If so, have you ever considered the offerings you bring (not just money)? There were a total of five sacrificial offerings required of ancient Israel. Descriptions of each are recorded in the first nine chapters of Leviticus. The Burnt Offering was to cleanse sins before coming before God, the Grain Offering was a voluntary offering to honor God (no blood was involved), the Peace Offering was thanksgiving to God, the Sin Offering was forgiveness of sins against God, and the Trespass Offering was about reconciling offenses between people.

A Burnt Offering was an animal sacrifice upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings where it was burned until completely consumed. Only ashes remained but even they had to be removed and properly disposed[1]. Every Burnt Offering is an “offering made by fire.” Of all the sacrificial offerings commanded God, the Burnt Offering is the oldest and the first biblical record was after the flood:

GENESIS 8:20-21 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a [sweet] aroma. …

Another example was the Exodus from Egypt. God sent Moses and the elders to Pharaoh to demand that he release them so they could go into the wilderness and sacrifice unto Him[2]. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son was to be a Burnt Offering[3]. Paul wrote, “… though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3). Did you know that he was referring to being a Burnt Offering like Isaac? Burnt Offerings were also around during the days of Job[4] but the Burnt Offering was first instituted for the Israelites at Mount Sinai after God gave Moses the Ten Commandments [5].

The Burnt Offering was the most widely used of all offerings and the most important. Even though the Grain, Peace, Sin, and Trespass Offerings were completely separate, small portions of them were required to be burned on the Altar of Burnt Offerings (usually the fat and entrails). The remainder—the hide, meat, or grain—was given to the priests, Levites, and/or the offerer. The Burnt Offering was a complete sacrifice to God because nothing but ashes remained.

The Altar of Burnt Offerings was located near the entrance to the courtyard of the Tabernacle[6] and Temple because it symbolized the cleansing of a sinner before coming into the presence of God. This altar required a perpetual burning fire and a sacrificial lamb to be offered twice a day, every day as part of the daily Burnt Offering.[7] However, there were other Burnt Offerings (“besides [in addition to] the regular [daily] burnt offering”[8]) required on the weekly Sabbath, the first day of each month, each of the seven Days of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Trumpets, the Day of Covering, and each of the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Aside from the sacrifice being a daily obligation and being completely consumed, the Burnt Offering stands out in another unique aspect—it is the only one that was a SWEET FRAGRANCE to God[9]:

LEVITICUS 1:9 … a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.

Most likely understand there is a relationship between the offerings and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ:

HEBREWS 10:5-9 Therefore, when He [Jesus Christ] came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You [God the Father] did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You [God the Father] had no pleasure. 7 Then I [Jesus Christ] said, ‘Behold, I have come– in the volume of the book it is written of Me– to do Your will, O God.’ “ 8 [Saying above], “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You [God the Father] did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He [Jesus Christ] said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first [offering] that He may establish the second [offering].

The majority is quoted from Psalm 40:6-8; however, the phrase “a body You have prepared for Me” is not mentioned. Its origin is unknown but it certainly fits because Jesus Christ came to do the WILL of God—to give His body as a sacrifice:

LUKE 22:19 And He [Jesus Christ] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them [the disciples], saying, “This is My body which is given for you; …

This is why the author of Hebrews also wrote:

HEBREWS 10:10 By that will [of God] we have been sanctified [cleansed of sin] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

As mentioned, Burnt Offerings were to cleanse sinners and that is exactly what the body of Jesus Christ does. His sacrifice is so great that it fulfilled ALL other offerings—“once for ALL”. It should be obvious that He fulfilled the Sin and Trespass Offerings. It is also easy to see that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was voluntary[10] as was the Grain Offering. Likewise, it made peace with God like the Peace Offering:

EPHESIANS 2:13-15 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near [to God through the veil] by the blood of Christ. 14 For He [Jesus Christ] Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

Like the Burnt Offering, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ totally consumed Him. His body was severely beaten, hung on a cross, and His blood poured out causing His death. Even the location of His crucifixion and burial were similar to the Burnt Offerings. The crucifixion occurred very near to the walls of the Temple courtyard whereas the Altar of Burnt Offerings was located at the entrance to the outer courts[11]. Jesus was buried in a tomb outside of Jerusalem, similar to the ashes from the Burnt Offering being carried “outside the camp to a clean place.” (Lev. 6:12).

The connections between the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with all five offerings is clear, but there is an extremely important distinction between the Burnt Offering and the other four. The Grain, Peace, Sin, and Trespass Offerings ALL only had portions put on the Altar of Burnt Offerings. Why? Because they were ADDED to the Burnt Offering and , not separate from it. In contrast, the Burnt Offering was frequently offered by itself.

And this is the important point—the sacrifice of Jesus Christ FULFILLED all that the Grain, Sin, Trespass, and Peace Offerings were meant to accomplish; however, His sacrifice actually WAS the Burnt Offering! If the entire sacrifice is consumed, leaving nothing for the priest or offerer, then it is ONLY a Burnt Offering. But remember what the Burnt Offering did—it was a sweet fragrance to God. If the sacrifice of Jesus Christ actually WAS the Burnt Offering, then He is also a SWEET FRAGRANCE to God and that is exactly what Scripture says:

EPHESIANS 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

This is why the Burnt Offering was the most important of the ancient sacrifices and why there were no Grain, Peace, Sin, and Trespass Offerings in the beginning. These four offerings were added for the ancient Israelites because they did not have the Spirit of God. But the Burnt Offering alone was sufficient for Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Job since they had the Spirit of God in them! The Burnt Offering was a shadow of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and those men were simply waiting for the Messiah to be the True Burnt Offering!

Those who “… were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). What did we put on? Knowledge of the glory of the mystery of the Gospel, which is Christ in you. (Col 1:27). The Gospel message is Jesus Christ living in us whereby God REVEALS in us the sweet fragrance of His Burnt Offering sacrifice:

2 CORINTHIANS 2:14-16 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph [to conquer, overcome] in Christ, and manifests through us the [sweet[12]] fragrance of His knowledge [knowledge of Christ] in every place. 15 For we are to God the [sweet¹²] fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 To those [who are perishing] we are a stench of death unto death; but to those [who are being saved] we are a [sweet¹²] fragrance of life unto life. And who is sufficient for such things?

The Burnt Offering cleanses sin and allows the offerer come before God. This is why the Psalmist wrote, “I will go into Your house with burnt offerings … I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, with the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. ​Selah” (Ps. 66:13, 15). But then he then says:

PSALM 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.

The Burnt Offering was always brightly burning before God as a sweet fragrance unto Him. The Temple is gone but the eternal flame burns on the altar in heaven[13] and brightness of the glory[14] of the True Burnt Offering—Jesus Christ—sits next to God on His throne. But beyond all comprehension, the sweet fragrance of that sacrifice is present in the hearts and minds of those children begotten by God!

I encourage everyone during this Feast of Ingathering to gather as you are able with the Household of God[15] and be filled with the sweet fragrance of Christ in everyone. Let God’s work of agape love in you be for the fellowship of peace and service toward each other. And forget not those who are absent from among you. Above all, declare to each other what God the Father and Jesus Christ have done for your SOUL, with all rejoicing!

May God’s grace and peace be upon you!

Steven Greene

https://sabbathreflections.org

sabbathreflections@gmail.com