VI. AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE TEST OF THE UNCLEANNESS, A BURNT OFFERING AND A SIN OFFERING NEEDING TO BE OFFERED
After the completion of the test of the uncleanness, a burnt offering and a sin offering needed to be offered (vv. 6-8). This signifies that after our uncleanness by birth is fully dealt with, we need Christ to be our burnt offering for our not being for God and to be our sin offering for our sin (Heb. 10:5-7).
Christ is revealed in this chapter not only by the eighth day and by circumcision but also by two kinds of offerings—the burnt offering and the sin offering. Both the burnt offering and the sin offering are Christ. Christ meets our every need. His death is our circumcision, and His resurrection is our eighth day. After we have been dealt with through His death and resurrection, we still need Him to be our burnt offering and our sin offering.
We need Christ as the burnt offering because we are not absolute for God. Christ, however, was absolute for God. Therefore, as the burnt offering He takes our place; He replaces us. Now we take Him as our burnt offering. In Him we are one with Him as the burnt offering offered to God. Therefore, He is our burnt offering, and we are God’s burnt offering in Him.
Not only are we not absolute for God, but we are sinful in the eyes of God. Thus we need Christ not only as our burnt offering but also as our sin offering.
In Leviticus 12 Christ is indicated by four matters: the eighth day, circumcision, the burnt offering, and the sin offering. All these matters indicate that Christ meets our need. His death ended our old course, and His resurrection begins our new course. Now we need Christ in order to live a life that is absolute for God and without sin. To meet this need, He is our burnt offering and our sin offering.
Chapter twelve reveals that we were born uncleanness and that the totality of our being needs to be dealt with by being cut off through the death of Christ. When Christ was crucified, we also were crucified. We were dealt with, cut off, circumcised. Then in Him we entered into His resurrection, which is our new beginning, the start of a new course. Now in this new course He is our life and our living, for He is our burnt offering, a life that is absolute for God. He is also our sin offering to take care of the sinful things that are still in our flesh as we live on earth. He surely meets our need!
Through this study of Leviticus 12, we can see once again how wonderful the Bible is. In the eight verses of this chapter we see so much concerning ourselves and our source and also concerning Christ Himself, His death for us, and His resurrection.
(Life-Study of Leviticus, Chapter 38, by Witness Lee)
