Leviticus 1-7: The Only Offering

These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, which the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the Desert of Sinai.  - Lev. 7:37-38 NIV

How puny our offerings, our sacrifices are in comparison to those required of the Children of Israel.  We say we bring an offering of praise, but that is usually nothing more than a few praise songs sung halfheartedly:  words we could not even recite unless we saw them up on the overhead, rote songs and rote sacrifice.

I imagine it might have been different for the poor Israelite who brought his precious lamb to the priest knowing that it would become the bloody, burnt sacrifice that The Lord required.  The Israelites were painfully aware that their relationship with God was dependent on their offerings:  the burnt offering, grain offering, sin offering, guilt offering, ordination offering, fellowship offering.  All of these were required to obtain a right standing with God.

Do we really appreciate what God provided to us in his son, Jesus.  In one fell swoop, he gave us entrance into the family of God.  He became the sacrifice, the only offering that was needed.