Once for All — TDW Kids

In My Place

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In Leviticus, a person could come near to God by bringing an animal. He put his hand on its head, and it was accepted in his place. Why would God give a plan like that?

Sin is serious. Sin is not a small mistake to God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The offerings showed how serious sin really is.

A life for a life. God said, “it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). Something had to die so the person could live.

No shortcut. Hebrews says, “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Remission means sins being forgiven and sent away.

God's kindness. God did not have to give any way at all. The offerings were a gift of mercy. God wanted His people near Him.

An old promise. Long before Leviticus, Abraham told Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).

Lambs every day. Later in the law, a lamb was offered every morning and every evening at the tabernacle (Exodus 29:38-39). The fire on the altar was never supposed to go out.

The best animal. Every offering had to be without blemish. God was teaching His people that the one who takes our place must be perfect.

The hand on the head. The person did not just watch. He put his own hand on the animal. It was as if he said, this is for me.

Here He is. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Perfect. Peter wrote that Jesus is “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). He never sinned, not even once in His whole life.

For us. Isaiah wrote, “the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Iniquity is another word for sin. Jesus carried ours.

What we learn. The offerings were God's picture of the gospel. Someone perfect would take our place.

What to do. This week, when you think about something wrong you did, remember that Jesus took your place. Tell God you are sorry, and thank Him.

Leviticus opens with five kinds of offerings (chapters 1-7). Each taught something about God, sin and coming near.

Seriousness. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The offerings made that truth visible every day at the tabernacle. No Israelite could watch an offering and think sin did not matter.

Life in the blood. Leviticus 17:11 explains the reason: “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” A life was given instead of the sinner's life. Blood stood for a life poured out.

Remission. “Without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Forgiveness is free for us, but it was never cheap. Someone always paid.

Grace first. God gave the offerings to a people He had already rescued from Egypt. They were a way to stay near, not a way to earn love. God works this way with us too: He rescues us first, and then He teaches us how to live.

The provided lamb. Genesis 22:8 sets the pattern: “God will provide for Himself the lamb.” The worshiper brings it, but God gives the way. At the cross God gave the Lamb Himself.

Daily and repeated. Lambs were offered every morning and evening (Exodus 29:38-39). The repeating kept the need in front of Israel. Each new day needed a new lamb.

Without blemish. The demand for tamim, a whole and healthy animal, taught that the one who takes a sinner's place must be free of sin himself. A sinner cannot carry another sinner's guilt. Only Jesus could.

Identification. The hand pressed on the head (Leviticus 1:4) joined the worshiper to the offering. The animal took his place, and he went home accepted.

The Lamb named. John 1:29 names Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He came for the whole world, not only Israel. The offerings of one nation pointed to a Savior for every nation.

Spotless. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says we were bought back “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Silver and gold could not do it.

Exchange. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Isaiah 53:6 says the Lord “laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Taught by Jesus. After He rose, Jesus began with Moses and showed His disciples the things about Himself in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Leviticus is one of the books of Moses, so we read it looking for Jesus.

Application. Read Leviticus 1:4 and Isaiah 53:6 side by side. Write two sentences on how the hand on the head helps you understand the cross.

Once for All

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The priests offered animals every day, year after year. Then Jesus came and gave Himself one time. Why was His one sacrifice enough?

Again and again. “Every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:11).

Why they could not. An animal is not a person, and it cannot take a person's place forever. The offerings were pictures pointing ahead.

One sacrifice. “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).

He sat down. The priests in the tabernacle never sat down. Their work was never done. Jesus sat down because His work was finished.

His own blood. Jesus did not bring the blood of goats or calves. “With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all” (Hebrews 9:12).

Perfect forever. “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Sanctified means made holy.

Alive again. Jesus did not stay dead. He rose on the third day. That showed God had accepted His sacrifice.

No more animals. “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:18). That is why Christians do not offer animals today.

Our offering of love. “Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

A living sacrifice. Paul asks us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). That means giving our whole lives to God, like the burnt offering.

Praise. We can “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15). Singing and thanking God are offerings too.

What we learn. Jesus finished the work. We do not add to it. We trust Him and live for Him.

What to do. This week, give God one thing as a thank-you offering: your time, your help, or a song of praise.

Hebrews 7-10 explains Leviticus more than any other part of the New Testament. It teaches that the many sacrifices all pointed to one: Jesus.

Repetition. The priests offered “repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:11). Repeating showed the work was not complete.

Shadow. The tabernacle was “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). A shadow is real, but it is not the thing that casts it. You can see a shadow and know something real is near.

A better priest. Jesus “does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices… for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:27).

Priest and offering. In Leviticus the priest and the animal were different. In Christ they are the same: He offers Himself. No one took His life from Him by force.

Seated. Hebrews 10:12 says He “sat down at the right hand of God.” No chair stood in the tabernacle. A seated priest means a finished offering.

Eternal. His entrance with “His own blood” obtained “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). The word eternal sets it apart from yearly and daily offerings.

Perfected. “By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Two things are true at once: believers are perfected forever, and they are being made holy now. They are fully accepted, and still growing.

Resurrection. The raising of Jesus on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) is God's public acceptance of the sacrifice. An empty tomb means the payment was received.

The end of animal offerings. “There is no longer an offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:18). Returning to them would deny that the work is done. The temple was destroyed in AD 70, and its sacrifices ended.

Offerings that remain. Believers still offer: their bodies as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) and “the sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15).

Love as offering. Ephesians 5:2 links Christ's offering to how we treat others: “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us.”

Assurance. Because the offering is once for all, a believer does not need to wonder if he has done enough. Christ has.

Application. Read Hebrews 10:11-14. List three differences between the priests of Leviticus and Jesus.

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Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.