Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Exodus Numbers
Leviticus 1
Directions concerning burnt-offerings: A bullock,
ver. 1-9. A sheep, goat, lamb, or kid, ver. 10-13. A turtle dove, or
young pigeon, ver. 14-17.
Verse 1. Moses - Stood without, Exod. xl, 35, waiting for God's call.
The tabernacle - From the mercy-seat in the tabernacle.
Verse 2. There are divers kinds of sacrifices here prescribed, some by
way of acknowledgment to God for mercies either desired or
received; others by was of satisfaction to God for men's sins;
others were mere exercises of devotion. And the reason why there
were so many kinds of them was, partly a respect to the childish
state of the Jews, who by the custom of nations, and their own
natural inclinations were much addicted to outward rites and
ceremonies, that they might have full employment of that kind in
Gods's service, and thereby be kept from temptations to idolatry;
and partly to represent as well the several perfections of Christ,
the true sacrifice, and the various benefits of his death, as the
several duties which men owe to their Creator and Redeemer, all
which could not be so well expressed by one sort of sacrifice. Of
the flock - Or, Of the sheep; though the Hebrew word contains
both the sheep and goats. Now God chose these creatures for his
sacrifices, either,
1. In opposition to the Egyptian idolatry, to which divers of the
Israelites had been used, and were still in danger of revolting to
again, that the frequent destruction of these creatures might bring
such silly deities into contempt. Or,
2. Because these are the fittest representations both of Christ and
of true Christians, as being gentle, and harmless, and patient, and
useful to men. Or,
3. As the best and most profitable creatures, with which it is fit
God should be served, and which we should be ready to part with,
when God requires us to do so. Or.
4. As things most common, that men might never want a sacrifice
when they needed, or God required it.
Verse 3. A burnt sacrifice - Strictly so called, such as was to be all burnt,
the skin excepted. For every sacrifice was burnt, more or less. The
sacrifices signified that the whole man, in whose stead the
sacrifice was offered, was to be entirely offered or devoted to
God's service; and that the whole man did deserve to be utterly
consumed, if God should deal severely with him; and directed us
to serve the Lord with all singleness of heart, and to be ready to
offer to God even such sacrifices or services wherein we
ourselves should have no part or benefit. A male - As being more
perfect than the female, Mal. i, 14, and more truly representing
Christ. Without blemish - To signify,
1. That God should be served with the best of every kind.
2. That man, represented by these sacrifices, should aim at all
perfection of heart and life, and that Christians should one day
attain to it, Eph. v, 27.
3. The spotless and compleat holiness of Christ. Of his own will -
According to this translation, the place speaks only of free-will
offerings, or such as were not prescribed by God to be offered in
course, but were offered by the voluntary devotion of any person,
either by way of supplication for any mercy, or by way of
thanksgiving for any blessing received. But it may seem improper
to restrain the rules here given to free-will offerings, which were
to be observed in other offerings also. At the door - In the court
near the door, where the altar stood, ver. 5. For here it was to be
sacrificed, and here the people might behold the oblation of it.
And this farther signified, that men could have no entrance,
neither into the earthly tabernacle, the church, nor into the
heavenly tabernacle of glory, but by Christ, who is the door, John
x, 7, 9, by whom alone we have access to God.
Verse 4. He shall put his hand - Both his hands, chap. viii, 14, 18, and
chap. xvi, 21. Whereby he signified,
1. that he willingly gave it to the Lord.
2. That he judged himself worthy of that death which it suffered in
his stead; and that he laid his sins upon it with an eye to him upon
whom God would lay the iniquity of us all, Isaiah liii, 6, and that
together with it he did freely offer up himself to God. To make
atonement - Sacramentally; as directing his faith and thoughts to
that true propitiatory sacrifice which in time was to be offered up
for him. And although burnt-offerings were commonly offered by
way of thanksgiving; yet they were sometimes offered by way of
atonement for sin, that is, for sins in general, as appears from Job
i, 5, but for particular sins there were special sacrifices.
Verse 5. And he - Either,
1. the offerer, who is said to do it, namely, by the priest; for men
are commonly said to do what they cause others to do, as John iv,
1, 2. Or,
2. the priest, as it follows, or the Levite, whose office this was.
Shall sprinkle the blood - Which was done in a considerable
quantity, and whereby was signified,
(1.) That the offerer deserved to have his blood spilt in that manner.
(2.) That the blood of Christ should be poured forth for sinners, and
that this was the only mean of their reconciliation to God, and
acceptance with him.
Verse 6. Pieces - Namely, the head, and fat, and inwards, and legs, ver.
8, 9.
Verse 7. Put fire - Or, dispose the fire, that is, blow it up, and put it
together, so as it might be fit for the present work. For the fire
there used and allowed came down from heaven, chap. ix, 24, and
was to be carefully preserved there, and all other fire was
forbidden, chap. x, 1, &c.
Verse 8. The fat - All the fat was to be separated from the flesh, and to
be put together, to increase the flame, and to consume the other
parts of the sacrifice more speedily.
Verse 9. But the inwards shall he wash - To signify the universal and
perfect purity both of the inwards, or the heart, and of the legs, or
ways or actions, which was in Christ, and which should be in all
Christians. And he washed not only the parts now mentioned, but
all the rest, the trunk of the body, and the shoulders. A sweet
savour - Not in itself, for so it rather caused a stink, but as it
represented Christ's offering up himself to God as a sweet
smelling savour.
Verse 11. North-ward - Here this and other kinds of sacrifices were
killed, chap. vi, 25, and chap. vii, 2, because here seems to have
been the largest and most convenient place for that work, the altar
being probably near the middle of the east-end of the building,
and the entrance being on the south-side. Besides this might
design the place of Christ's death both more generally, in
Jerusalem, which was in the sides of the north, Psalm xlviii, 2,
and more specially, on mount Calvary, which was on the
northwest side of Jerusalem.
Verse 14. Turtle-doves - These birds were appointed for the poor who
could not bring better. And these birds are preferred before others,
partly because they were easily gotten, and partly because they are
fit representations of Christ's chastity, and meekness, and
gentleness, for which these birds are remarkable. The pigeons
must be young, because then they are best; but the turtle-doves are
better when they are grown up, and therefore they are not
confined to that age.
Verse 15. His head - From the rest of the body; as sufficiently appears,
because this was to be burnt by itself, and the body afterwards,
ver. 17. And whereas it is said chap. v, 8. He shall - wring his
head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder, that is spoken
not of the burnt-offering as here, but of the sin-offering.
Verse 16. With its feathers - Or, with its dung or filth, contained in the
crop and in the guts. On the east - Of the Tabernacle. Here the
filth was cast, because this was the remotest place from the holy
of holies, which was in the west-end; to teach us, that impure
things and persons should not presume to approach to God, and
that they should be banished from his presence. The place of the
ashes - Where the ashes fell down and lay, whence they were
afterwards removed without the camp.
Verse 17. He shall cleave the bird through the whole length, yet so as
not to separate the one side from the other. A sweet savour unto
the Lord - Yet after all, to love God with all our hearts, and to
love our neighbour as ourselves, is better than all burnt-offerings
and sacrifices.
Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Exodus Numbers
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
