Rabbit Trail Week #1: The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1:1-9) Series

25 He stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king’s seer and of the prophet Nathan, for the commandment was from the LORD through his prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of King David of Israel. 28 The whole assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and of the seer Asaph. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

This is the picture you should keep in mind when you think about OT sacrifice. People cheerfully, willingly, offer God a sacrifice to praise him, and thank him, and worship him. It's a celebration.

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Goldingay, Old Testament Theology: Israel's Life, volume 3, 136:

"The psalms associate offering sacrifices with shouting, singing, making music and calling on Yhwh or confessing Yhwh's name (Ps. 27:6; 64:6 [MT 8]; 107:22; 116:17). The two aspects of worship, the correlation of acts and words, appear in Psalm 54:6 (MT 8]; 'For your munificence I will sacrifice to you; I will confess your name, Yhwh, for it is good.' It involves both the symbolic action and the words testifying to what Yhwh has done."

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And with this, we find ourselves (accidentally) smoothly transitioning into question #3:

#3. Why do you offer a burnt offering? [What is its function in Israelite religion?]

Honestly, this is a question that can't be answered for sure. What you are about to hear includes a certain amount of guesswork. But what we do know is that the burnt offering was offered for lots of reasons. It was a multi-purpose sacrifice.

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Goldingay, Old Testament Theology: Israel's Life (vol. 3), 134:

"In focusing on the right way to offer sacrifices, texts leave it to offerers to let them signify what they wish to signify by them."

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So, we've already read from 2 Chronicles 29. There, Hezekiah first had the priests offer a "sin/purification offering." [Which is better understood as a purification offering]. Then, in verse 27, the priests offered a single burnt offering.

The combination of these two things, leads Hezekiah to say this, in verse 31:

31 Then Hezekiah said, “You have now consecrated yourselves to the LORD; come near, bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings; and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.