March 5

1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.

4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make at moment for him.

5 And he shall kill the bullock before the

LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

6 And he shall fly the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.

7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:

8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

9 Put his inwards and his legs shall be wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

It is necessary that we view the five great offerings as a whole, in order to get a complete understanding of the significance of each. Each of these offerings represents a different phase of our Lord's work in His mediation for us with God. We note that the offerings are in two main classes. The first class consists of offerings of a "sweet smell," in which there is no suggestion of sin at all; but the offering to God of that service which is required of man, independent of his sin. These are the Burnt Offering, the Meat Offering, and the Peace Offering. The second class is quite different from the first. The offerings are two: the Sin Offering, and the Trespass Offering. Neither of these are offerings of a sweet smell. God can have no pleasure when He is dealing with sin and guilt.

Let us, to-day, take up the Burnt Offering. This offering was a type of Christ as He is described in Eph. v. 2. "He loved us, and gave Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet-smelling savor." Christ is seen in it, both as offerer and sacrifice for us. That is, we identify ourselves with Him by offering or laying our hands upon Him, claiming Him as ours, and standing with Him as He stands for us. The whole burnt-offering typified the entire surrender of self to God. Its special meaning is that of dedication. The one who accepts the great sacrifice made by Christ must be, in one sense, himself a sacrifice. If Christ becomes his representative in heaven, he must become Christ's representative in this world. All that he is, and all that he has is the property of Him who bought him with His own precious blood.

One of the best of commentaries upon this offering is Rom. xii. 1: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." "Your bodies"—not those of bulls or of goats. "A living sacrifice"—not one made incapable by death. "Holy"—the inward parts cleansed with the blood of Christ, as those of the old-time sacrifices were cleansed with water. "Acceptable to God"—of a "sweet savor" unto Him. "Which is your reasonable service"—because of the atonement made for, and the dedication of self made by you.

Closet Promise.—Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.—1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.

"Not your own!" but His ye are, Who hath paid a price untold For your life, exceeding far; All earth's store of gems and gold With the precious blood of Christ, Ransom treasure all unprized, Full redemption is procured, Full salvation is assured.

"Not your own!" but His by right, His peculiar treasure now, Fair and precious in His sight, Purchased jewels for His brow, He will keep what thus He sought, Safely guard the dearly bought, Cherish that which He did choose, Always love and never lose. —Frances Ridley Havergal.