“Give Aaron and his sons this
command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering
is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the
fire must be kept burning on the altar.” Leviticus 6:9
The burnt offering was the most common of all the
offerings. The animal was killed and put
completely in the fire, totally consumed to ashes. The smell of the burnt offerings pleased the
Lord, who loved to smell the sacrifices of the people.
Leviticus 1 told the people to bring their best animal
for sacrifice, a male without defect.
Most burnt offerings were personal offerings to God for thanks and
atonement for their sins. The person
laid their hands on the animal and confessed their sins, then the animal was killed.
This directly parallels what Jesus did for us, a man
without sin, dying for the sins of others, completely consumed by death as a
offering pleasing to God.