Coming to my annual foray into Leviticus (reading through the Bible each year), I thought I would try to summarize in my own words what is written, to help me make sense of it, and maybe it will be beneficial to you, too.
Chapter 1 - burnt offering
If you want to bring an animal sacrifice, you can bring a bull, ram or pigeon, depending on what you can afford, something like putting in the offering plate a $20, a $100, or a $1000 bill/check. We give according to our ability. The offerer would bring the animal to the tabernacle.
Vs 4 - the offerer puts his hand on the animal, as a symbol of the substitution - the animal dies instead of the offerer. Death is required for sin (Romans 6:23), and blood is the proof of death and atones for the soul (Lev 17:11).
Vs 4 - atonement: while it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Hebrews 10:4), the sacrifice pictures a real atonement that occurs, looking forward to Christ's sacrifice.
Once the animal is dead, its blood is sprinkled around the altar by the priest, and the body is skinned and rearranged and all burned on the altar, signifying a total devotion of the offerer to God.
Chapter 2 - Grain offering
Flour, oil and frankincense mixed and cooked somehow, would make a cake of some sort, which the offerer would give to the priest. The priest put a handful on the altar to be burned, and kept the rest for food for himself.
Leaven and honey were forbidden; salt was required. Interesting on the salt from the New Testament: our sacrifice today is the fruit of our lips (Heb 13:15), and our conversation is to be always seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). Paul certainly knows how to make modern-day applications from a book like Leviticus (1 Timothy 5:17-18).
The firstfruits was also a grain offering - heads straight from the stalk, still green. This was divvied up between the altar and the priest in a similar fashion.
Chapter 3 - peace offering
This didn't have to be male, and was not all burned. The fat and kidneys were burned, but the meat was taken home by the worshiper, to be eaten the same day, or the next, but not the third day (Lev 7:15-17). Is there a connection to God not allowing the sacrifice of His own Son to see corruption by remaining 3 days after His death (Psalm 16:10)?
The breast and right thigh of the meat were given to the priest and his family (Lev 7:28-34).
Other than these differences, the blood and laying on of hands is the same as with the burnt offering.
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