Leviticus 1-3

What’s Happening?

At the end of Exodus, the smoke of God’s glory filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–35). That smoke was the visible sign that God’s holiness was now dwelling in Israel’s midst. But it also created a longing in the people: if God is holy, then his people must also become holy if they want to dwell with him (Leviticus 11:44).

The first three offerings in Leviticus—the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fellowship offering—are sacrificial acts performed by devoted worshipers who want to be with and be like God. They are not about cleansing sin or removing guilt but about expressing love for God, thanking him as the giver of all life, and longing to enjoy his presence again. Each offering creates its own rising smoke that echoes the smoke of God’s glory. As the sacrifice ascends, it is a picture of the worshiper’s desire to rise into God’s space and become like him.

The burnt offering (Leviticus 1:6–9) is a whole offering. An entire animal, often from the worshiper’s herd or flock, is consumed in the fire. In an agricultural economy, this was profoundly costly—a whole animal meant meat, milk, or future breeding lost. But the worshiper holds nothing back. All of it goes up in smoke, a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord. This aroma is not about the smell of meat but the fragrance of devotion, a way of saying, “All that I am belongs to you.” It is an act of longing to be with and be like God in full devotion that is pleasing to him.

The grain offering (Leviticus 2:1–3) builds on this theme but adds a new dimension. Grain or baked bread is offered, and while a portion is burned to God, the rest is given to the priests. This sustains them in their work of maintaining the tabernacle, the place where heaven and earth overlap. Here the worshiper shows thankfulness to God by offering what sustains life itself, while also fueling the priestly mission of making God’s dwelling place flourish. In this way, the worshiper joins God’s work of creating a holy space, offering up their crops as devotion and sharing in sustaining God’s presence among them.

The fellowship offering (Leviticus 3:1–5) takes yet another step. Here, the worshiper and their family eat a portion of the sacrifice in God’s presence, alongside the priests. It is a shared meal with God, a picture of restored communion. Where the burnt offering shows total devotion and the grain offering shows thanksgiving and provision, the fellowship offering shows intimacy—humans sitting at the table with God as in Eden, enjoying his presence face-to-face. This is the clearest picture yet of the desire to be with and be like God.

Where is the Gospel?

Jesus fulfills and deepens all three of these offerings.

Like the burnt offering, Jesus gave himself fully, holding nothing back. His obedience and self-giving love were a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). In doing so, he reveals what true devotion looks like and calls us to join him: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). Through Jesus, we see what kind of life rises like a pleasing aroma into God’s presence, and we learn how to be with and be like God.

Like the grain offering, Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35). His bread does not sustain priests in a temple but all believers, who are now his royal priesthood. He fills us with his Spirit—his holy “smoke”—so that we can carry out God’s work of bringing heaven to earth. In him, we are strengthened to be with God and live like him in the world.

And like the fellowship offering, Jesus makes possible the most intimate communion of all. At the Lord’s Supper, we eat and drink in his presence, anticipating the day when we will feast with him face-to-face at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). In him, we are welcomed to the table to be with God forever and to become like him in glory.

Through Jesus, the longing in Israel’s sacrifices finds its answer. In him, God’s people are made holy as he is holy, sustained in their priestly calling, and welcomed to the table of fellowship with God.

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit would give you eyes to see the God who delights in the devotion of his people. And I pray you would see Jesus as the fragrant offering, the bread of life, and the host of the eternal feast—who calls you to be with him and be like him.