d) BIRD OFFERING

i) INTRODUCTION

A less costly procedure to symbolize the purity and the holiness of God and the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ.

ii) [Lev 1:14-17]:

(v. 14) " 'If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to offer a dove or a young pigeon.

(v. 15) The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

(v. 16) He is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, where the ashes are.

(v. 17) He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD"

But if his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds then he shall bring his offering from the turtle doves or from the young pigeons.

And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar.

And its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

He shall also take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar eastward to the place of the ashes.

And then he shall tear it by its wings but he shall not divide it.

And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is on the fire.

It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to God."

The procedure here in the sacrifice of the birds is a voluntary offering representing Christ the GodMan in His resurrection. The bird rising up from death.

ii) [Cp 2 Cor 8:9]:

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor so that you through His poverty you might become rich." = the resurrection of Christ.

In this procedure, the priest kills the bird, pours the blood out on the north side of the altar. The priest plucks away the crop - the feathers, throws it away on the east side - the ash pile signifying the place of sin removed. He splits the bird down the middle but doesn't divide it. The bird represents Jesus Christ - two parts and yet the parts are not divided by always joined = Christ's two natures, He was divine and He was human. Because the bird was not separated it showed that the two natures were in one Person and they will be there forever.

He will always be in heaven, the GodMan. The division without the separation also spoke

of the singleness of the purpose of Christ in His Humanity and in His Diety.

iii) [John 8:29]:

"Jesus says, 'And He Who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone. For I always do

the things that are pleasing to Him."

Because of His Diety, Jesus Christ always pleased the Father in His Humanity.

e) SUMMARY OF BURNT OFFERING

The burnt offerings all symbolize something of the work of Christ on the cross which is

even more important to God than the salvation of sinners. God created man for His own

glory and yet all men have dishonored Him. So God's character could be vindicated only

by a man who lived on earth wholly to God's glory. It was through Adam that sin came