GOODMORNING!
BURNT OFFERING
The name in Hebrew was ‘olleh’, meaning ascending as smoke, given because this sacrifice was to be wholly consumed and to rise in smoke toward heaven. There is also the poetic term ‘kalil’, complete (Deut 33:10, 1 Sam.7:9, Psa 51:19) or the Greek ‘Holokautoma’ (Mark 12:33, Heb.10:6) alluding to the fact that, with the exception of the skin or feathers, it was wholly and entirely consumed. The victims in other sacrifices were only partially consumed upon the altar.
The description of the burnt offering is found in Leviticus 1:1-17 and we shall look at the various verses to understand the purpose of the offering. verses 3, 10, 14. ‘from the herd’, ‘from the flock’, ‘of birds’. The offering was according to possession, which it was thought denoted a man’s standing in society and before God. If the social standing of the offerer was such that he owned a herd then he should offer a bullock. A lamb was not acceptable to God from him. If, however, the offerer did not own a herd but did have a flock, then his offering must be a sheep or a goat. If neither a herd or a flock were owned, then the offering should be a bird (turtledoves or pigeons). This offering was made by Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the time of her purification, which indicates that Jesus was born of parents who were poor and of low social standing.
These verses also show that the offering from the herd and the flock had to be male and without defect but the offering of birds in verse 14 placed no such conditions thereby allowing the poor to bring their offering. The lesson here is that God expects each man to give to Him according to his means, in acknowledgement that it is God who has prospered him. He will not accept inferior offerings. Genesis 4:4 -5 says that “Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour.” Yet God does not expect from His people gifts, service, or anything that they do not possess. Our responsibilities are measured according to our privileges, not more than we have, not less than we have, always the best of what we have, without defect.
Man today more often gives God the things he does not want, what he no longer needs. The worn out or unfashionable clothes given to the charity shop. The unwanted furniture and the threadbare carpet sent round to the church. We set out to make our fortune, or gain that which the world offers, and only then give the remaining years to the Lords service. No one is suggesting that God won’t or can’t use those years, But God asks for the firstfruits not the leavings, for that which is of costs to us, not for that which is paltry (Malachi 1:7-8). Verse 3 also tells us that the offerer brought his sacrifice to the entrance to the court to present it, an individual as a special act of worship. The burnt offering was given for the whole of Israel regularly every morning and evening (Exodus.29:38-42). Each Sabbath, double that of the daily offering (Num.28:9). At the new moon, the three great festivals, the day of atonement and the feast of trumpets. Special Burnt offerings were made for the consecration of priests (Exodus,29:15), at the purification of women (Lev.12:6), at the cleansing of lepers (Lev.14:19), the removal of other ceremonial uncleanness (Lev.15:15), and on the accidental breach of the Nazarite vow, or its conclusion (Num.6:11). While the freewill burnt offering was given on any solemn occasion e.g. the dedication of the tabernacle (Num. chapter 7) and of the Temple (1 Kings 8:64).
Verse 4 tells us that the offerer laid his hands upon the sacrifice as a means of identification with the animal. The animals acceptance meant the acceptability of the offerer, it was an act of worship, the offerer presented himself before Jehovah as a worshipper, desirous of being accepted. The words ‘to make atonement for him’ according to B.W. Newton mean literally ‘to place a covering over him’ causing him to be acceptable.
Verse 5 says that the offerer had to kill the sacrifice, no one did it for him, he did it himself. Our identification with the animal and its death is like a laying down our lives, complete submission of our will to Gods that we may worship him. The priests would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice against the sides or at the base of the altar. The sprinkling of Blood was like pouring out of life as it was believed that the life is in the blood. Verse 6 has the offerer skinning and cutting it into pieces. The skin being the only part of the animal that wasn’t burnt, the skin being a memorial of the death of the sacrifice. The skin provided him with a covering, a robe of righteousness, reminding us that God had to kill an animal to clothe Adam and Eve with it’s skin covering their embarrassment. The skin was kept by the priests as their portion, the offer left not with the physical covering but with the spiritual covering and the sense that God had provided everything. We see Christ’s sacrifice as clothing us with righteousness and that he takes away our embarrassment as we enter God’s presence to worship him.
In verses 7-9 the priests prepared the altar and placed on it the head and the fat. The offerer washes the inner parts and the legs with water before the pieces were placed on the altar by the priests so that it was all burnt. The inspection meant there was no outward blemish the washing showed there was no inward blemish. Christ was scrutinised both outwardly and inwardly by man and God respectively. Man could find no fault in him and God could see no fault in him. The different parts described in these verses represent and indicate the fullness or completeness of the sacrifice:
The Head – represents the mind and the intellect
The Inwards – represents the will and emotions
The Legs – indicate walk which represent conduct and lifestyle
The Fat – represents health and virility.
It says the offering was by fire, remember the animal was provided by God, for it was given in proportion to His provision, but the fire was also from God being originally kindled by Him. It was an aroma pleasing to the Lord. The symbolism or typology of the ceremony sets forth Christ offering himself without defect to God in performing the divine will with Joy, even to the point of death. In the offering the note of penalty is not conspicuous (Heb.9:11-14, 10:5-7). The offering is a sweet savour, so called because they deal with Christ in His own perfection and in His perfect devotion to the Father’s will. They are in contrast to the non-sweet savour offerings which typify Christ as carrying the sinner’s transgressions. The whole burnt offering is both atoning and substitutionary, Christ dies in the believers stead. The acceptableness or merit of the offering passed to the believer, and he is accepted by God in the place of and because of the blemishless offering.
Thoughts for Simple Sermons:
1/ God expects us to give out of the bounty that he gives to us, in proportion to that which he has given. God does not expect the left overs, the worn out or the discarded.
a) Let us consider the time we give to God in private prayer or worship.
b) Let us think about the time we give to serving the church.
c) Let us review the time we give in cherishing and loving our spouses and family. God, his family and our family deserve the best, let us commit ourselves to giving that quality time.
2/ God provided the animal and the fire, He gave Moses the pattern to be followed in the construction of the tabernacle. All this to have communion with the Israelites. God loves us so much he provided everything we need as well to have a relationship with him. He sent Jesus who became our sacrifice.
3/ The whole offering was given by the offerer and God wants no less of us. Paul says to the Romans in verse 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.” God wants all of us, wholly given over to him and just as the offering was washed, God wants us to wash at the laver of his word our minds, intellects, will and emotions, our conduct and lifestyle.
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IMMIGRANTS STEPPING UP!
IMMIGRATION POLICY
Research changes immigration debate, to a degree
By JEANNIE KEVER
Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle
June 9, 2011, 5:37AM
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EmailA report set for release today seeks to reshape the national immigration debate and notes that for the first time, immigrants with college degrees outnumber those who haven’t finished high school.
“There’s more high-skilled (immigrants) than people believe,” said Audrey Singer, senior fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and co-author of the report, which contends that the economic contribution of immigrants has been overshadowed by the rancorous debate over illegal immigration.
Singer and Matthew Hall, a sociologist at the University of Illinois-Chicago, analyzed census data for the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas and found that 30 percent of working-age immigrants had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 28 percent who lack a high school diploma.
They are talking, in part, about people such as Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, a native of England who worked in Australia before being recruited last year to run the pediatric critical care departments at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Shekerdemian said she was drawn by the job offer, along with the fact that her partner, Dr. Daniel Penny, was approached at the same time to run the pediatric cardiology departments at the school and hospital.
“The time was right,” she said. “We were looking for new challenges, in a new environment.”
But despite the national statistics, Shekerdemian and Penny aren’t typical of the international arrivals in Houston and most other cities in the Southwest. The number of well-educated foreign-born workers here is growing, but it’s still far below the number of lower-skilled immigrants.
Singer said the highest concentrations of well-educated immigrants live on the east and west coasts and in older industrial cities, including Buffalo, N.Y., and Pittsburgh.
Call for global workforce
Still, Greater Houston has more than 235,000 foreign-born workers with at least a bachelor’s degree, drawn in part by the Texas Medical Center, the oil and gas industry and the region’s universities.
“To be big in oil and gas, you need to go where the opportunities are,” said Ola Morten Aanestad, vice president of media relations for Statoil North America.
Aanestad, who came to Houston a year ago from his native Norway, where Statoil is based, said the energy industry requires a global workforce.
The Brookings study included both legal and illegal immigrants and includes all foreign-born workers, including permanent U.S. residents as well as naturalized citizens.
It argues that immigrants — even those without much formal education – are important to the nation’s workforce, and calls for more investment in teaching them English and helping transfer their skills to good jobs here.
Still disparities
Researchers determined that foreign-born workers at all educational levels earn less than native-born workers who are similarly educated.
Low-skilled immigrants, however, are more likely to be employed, and less likely to live in poverty, than low-skilled native-born workers, the study found.
“Most immigrants in this country are here to stay,” Singer said.
But an advocate for immigration reform drew a distinction between assistance for legal and illegal immigrants, and said he wouldn’t support any effort that did not end illegal immigration.
Curtis Collier, president of U.S. Border Watch, described the current system as unfair, saying it offers visas to workers with in-demand skills and people with $100,000 or more to invest, while turning away the low-skilled and poor.
“We ought to rework the entire immigration system,” Collier said.
Singer said three factors have led to higher education levels among immigrants:
An increase in international students.
Growth in H-1B and other visas or permanent-residency programs for skilled workers.
An economic shift to jobs requiring more education.
Adria Baker, executive director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Rice University, said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks temporarily made it more difficult to obtain visas for international researchers and faculty, although that situation has eased.
Rice had about 600 foreign-born faculty members, researchers and shorter-term scholars during the 2009-10 school year, up 58 percent over the previous five years.
Even for those with sought-after skills, immigrating to the United States isn’t easy.
Shekerdemian and Penny were granted permanent resident status as “aliens of extraordinary ability.” Even so, she said, it took seven months to be granted entrance after they were hired.
It has been a good move, she said. “But I would only recommend this to people that are sure it’s where they want to be.”
Economic effects
High-skilled workers are admitted because of their skills, but economist Barton Smith, the recently retired director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston, said immigrants at both ends of the educational spectrum can adversely affect the U.S. economy.
Smith disputed the argument that low-skilled immigrants take jobs Americans don’t want.
“It’s a matter of the wage we’re willing to pay,” he said. “If we don’t make these jobs available, it means a lot of Americans who don’t have high skills will have an increasingly difficult time getting a job.”
Educated immigrants, meanwhile, fill the growing demand for skilled workers, lessening pressure to improve education levels at home.
“We’ve got so many Americans that are under-educated, and I think we need to concentrate our efforts on educating them,” Smith said. “We’re seeing the gap widen between haves and have-nots in America, and a good part of that is education.”
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