Keep the Fire Burning

 

Our Bible Study at church was a study of the types of offerings given during the Tabernacle in the wilderness, I took notes and present an edited lesson here.

BURNT OFFERING:  In the court before the tabernacle, where the people attended, was an altar, to which they must bring their sacrifices.  The entire procedure was Holy and was systematically carried out in order.  The fire shall ever be burning upon this altar; it shall never go out.  Fresh wood was added every morning to keep the fire burning.

The priest would lay hands on the animal as an act of atonement for the people.  The animal must be perfect and without blemish.  After the animal was slain, the skin was removed and given to the priest to use or sell.  The animal was washed and cut in pieces and placed on the alter.  This offering became a sweet savor unto our Lord a continual process looking forward to Jesus.

Leviticus 6:9-13  This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning on it.  And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire has consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.  And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes outside the camp unto a clean place. And the fire upon the altar shall be burning on it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

There were five offerings which included: The Burnt offering, the Peace offering, Sin offering, Trespass Offering, and the Meal Offering; each being Holy unto God.  Each offering had to be done correctly and reverently.

MEAL OFFERING:

Leviticus 2:1  "When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it."

The Meal Offering is an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord." Like the burnt offering, it is a sweet savor to God.

Each offering was made onto God but each in its own special way was representative of Christ Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. 

Jesus spoke in John 6:35  "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

The next statements of Jesus made were so deep as He spoke of Spiritual things, but the people could only relate to the material things.  His saying was not literal but spiritual and they failed to understand.

John 6:51-53 - - I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Some of the people said, “this is a Hard saying” and they could not understand as they turned away and refused to follow Jesus any longer.

The Last Supper was a memorial to Jesus and the symbols of the bread and the cup were again a token of his body and blood.

It is believing on the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus that can change lives.  How has his body and blood changed you?