1 Peter 2:5 (NKJV): You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The word 'offer' is a verb, and it means 'to give freely as a gift or as a sacrifice'. Jesus' sacrifice for you on the cross was a perfect sacrifice and a perfect gift for you, done once for all (see Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 7:27-28).
What then is an 'offering'? It is a noun. This word 'offering' simply means 'a gift, or a present'. Biblical offerings in the Old Testament include animals, birds, land produce, or incense. A nation or individual those days made offerings in order to have right relationship with God. However, in Old Testament days, this practice was also a never-ending 'cycle', i.e. whenever someone sinned, he had to offer up another offering! How about you in the New Covenant today? The Bible says by Jesus' one offering, He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). As a believer, all your sins have been removed permanently because of Jesus' complete, perfect, and finished work on the cross for you. And He did it once for all!
The Old Testament is the 'shadow' of the things to come. So, if the 5 types of offering (see Leviticus chapters 1 to 5) is the 'shadow', then Jesus' work on the cross some 2,000 years ago is the 'substance'.
Today, as a believer, know that Jesus has become your perfect offering, and indeed He has fulfilled perfectly all the 5 types of offering mentioned in Leviticus 1-5.
Leviticus 1:2-3 says, 'When any one of you (i.e. 'offeror') brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock - of the herd and of the flock. If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord'.
The 5 types of offering:
Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1)
This speaks of Jesus' entire dedication to God when He died for you on the cross, and He did it willingly for you. This was an offering made by fire, a burnt sacrifice, and the sweet aroma of this burnt offering then delighted and pleased God the Father, who accepted this offering.
Today, Jesus' acceptance before God the Father is being transferred to you as a believer. The Bible says, 'as He is, so are you' (1 John 4:17). God therefore accepts you the same way as He accepts His Son, and He is also well-pleased with you, because you are in Christ.
Note:
In the Old Testament days, the animal (sacrifice) was killed by gripping its nose and mouth (i.e. muzzle it), held tight, and then a knife was plunged into its throat. With every heartbeat, the dying animal would then pump out its own blood. It was a slow but sure death. The animal was then skinned and cut ('picture' of Jesus being wounded, striped, and pierced), and put on the wood to be burned (speaks of 'judgement' at the wooden cross).
Sounds cruel? But somebody had to die because of our sin and unrighteousness. The Bible says, 'for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 6:23).
Grain Offering (Leviticus 2)
This speaks of the Person of Jesus Christ, who also has become the Bread of life for you (John 6:33-35).
Note:
It's a bloodless offering, i.e. no animal sacrifice, unlike the other 4 types of offering.
'Fine flour' used for this offering speaks of Jesus' perfection, whereas 'oil' speaks of the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Spirit indwelling Him.
'Frankincense' was one of the best and costliest perfumes then, and it concerns 'priesthood'. This speaks of Jesus being your High Priest.
'Salt' used for this offering speaks of 'covenant'. Jesus has provided a covenant for you when He came to die for you.
The 'bread' then went into the oven (or pan), and this speaks of Jesus experiencing God's fire of judgment on your behalf.
Peace Offering (Leviticus 3)
The fact that a peace offering is needed implies something has gone wrong in regard to man's relationship with God. Since Adam's fall, man by nature has become 'unfit' to fellowship with God. So, this offering implies that peace needed to be made between the 'Sinless' and the 'sinner', and this peace was made when Jesus died for you on the cross!
Today, you have peace (and quietness) because you know Jesus has become the full satisfaction of God's wrath and punishment against sin. Real peace in one's life therefore rests not on one's feelings, but on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Sin Offering & Trespass Offering (Leviticus 4 & 5)
The difference between sin offering and trespass offering is a very thin line, but basically sin offering is for sins done ignorantly (or because of one's sin nature), whereas trespass offering is for sins done knowingly (or outward act of sin).
The priest laying hands on the animal's (i.e sacrifice's) head those days is a 'picture' of your sins being transferred to Jesus Christ. He has indeed become your perfect sacrifice, sinless and unblemished, on the cross. The Bible says, 'Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God (i.e. in right standing with God) in Him' (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The priest would then dip his finger in the sacrifice's blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary (Leviticus 4:6). The number 'seven' means 'perfect', representing the perfect work of Jesus on the cross.
When His work was finished, the veil of the temple that separated the 'Holy of Holies' from the 'Holy Place' was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51). This speaks of you (in the New Covenant) having access to His very presence, because someone had opened the way for you. Today, as a believer, there's no animosity between God and you anymore, and you can now therefore come boldly to the throne of His grace (Hebrews 4:16).
Note:
Here's an amazing fact about the veil of the temple: It's about 60 feet in height, 32 feet in width, 4 inches thick, and very tightly woven. Rabbinical records have shown that even two teams of oxen pulling the veil in opposite directions couldn't tear it apart. Yet when Jesus died on the cross, the veil was miraculously torn from top to bottom!
