LEVITICUS 6 & 7 - ALTAR SERVICE: ORDER FOR THE LORD’S FIRE
- Pr Enos Mwakalindile
- Jul 13
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 30
Drawing Close to God: Walk in the Leviticus, Look to Christ
❓ What should always burn in the heart of a true worshipper—without fading even in the darkest night of life?
🪔 INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT
In this section of Leviticus (6:8–7:38), the focus shifts from the offerer to the priests who preside over the worship. We see that the altar service was not just an outward worship but an inward worship filled with discipline, holiness, and unquenchable fire .
The burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, and the peace offering are all brought back—but now through the eyes of the priest. Thus, we find the principles of the liturgical service that Christ fulfilled as High Priest (Hebrews 10:11–14), and that Christians are called to live out as a “priestly race” (1 Peter 2:9).
📖 Read First
Leviticus 6:8–7:38 Notice how these instructions emphasize order, purity, and the importance of the altar fire—especially verse 13:
“The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out...” (Leviticus 6:13)
📖 STUDY STRUCTURE FOR THIS CHAPTER
🔥 THE UNQUENCHABLE FIRE OF GRACE: THE SACRIFICE OF CONFIDENCE (Leviticus 6:8–13)
The fire on the altar was commanded never to be extinguished . Every morning, the priest was required to add wood and arrange the burnt offering on it.
This fire was not merely physical but was a symbol of God's continuous presence and a call to constant devotion for the worshipper .
This command to keep the fire burning always represents an unquenchable religious life within the believer—continuous worship, constant repentance, and fiery love.
In the light of the New Testament, this fire is the Holy Spirit , who enables us to offer our daily lives to God (Romans 12:1–2). Christ himself is the sacrifice placed on the wood, burned for us (Ephesians 5:2).
Christ is the burnt offering – the one who gave himself completely.
🌾 HOLY OFFERING: PENALTY AND SIN OFFERING (Leviticus 6:14–23)
This section emphasizes that these offerings were “most holy.” Nothing was to be done haphazardly. For example:
The high priest’s daily grain offering (6:19–23) was to be offered every morning and evening.
The priestly garments needed to be put on and taken off with special care (6:10–11).
This teaches us that service to God is a daily occurrence , not just a special day of worship. Just as Christ fulfilled this sacrifice by daily giving himself over to the will of the Father (John 4:34), so we are called to live a life of ordinary yet holy worship .
Christ is the grain offering – his life is daily food.
🩸 Anointing of Blood: Sin and Guilt Offering (Leviticus 6:24–7:10)
The blood in these sacrifices was very important, as it was poured or sprinkled in the holy place as a sign of cleansing and atonement before God (see Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22).
The priests were commanded to eat part of these offerings in the holy place, as a symbol of their ritual participation in the atonement process (see Leviticus 6:26; 10:17).
NT Wright explains that God destroyed the power of sin by condemning it in the body of Jesus Christ, who shared our humanity (Romans 8:3) —doing through obedience and love what the law could not do due to the weakness of the human flesh.
Christ is the sin offering – the innocent became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), to take away our sins by the offering of his body (Rom. 8:3). Christ is the guilt offering – he bore our punishment and paid for our transgressions with his own blood (Isaiah 53:5–6).
🍽️ THE LORD'S SHARE: THE PEACE OFFERING (Leviticus 7:11–38)
The peace offering allowed the offerer to eat part of the offering before God , as a communion ceremony. But the conditions were strict: the remaining meat had to be burned within three days; meat that had touched an unclean thing was not to be eaten—this showed that communion with God was a sacred act that was not to be mixed with impurity or human negligence.
Christ is our peace offering (Ephesians 2:14). Fellowship with Him requires holiness. When we approach the Lord’s Supper, we approach a spiritual altar that requires purified hearts, not just rituals (1 Cor. 11:27–29).
Christ is the peace offering – the one who brought us true fellowship with God.
📖 SUMMARY OF STUDY
This section of Leviticus teaches us that worship is the daily work of a heart burning with the fire of God. The sacrifices were not only for sinners, but for the priests as well—showing that no one is above grace.
Christ, the eternal High Priest, fulfilled all these sacrifices—the burnt offering by perfect self-sacrifice (Ephesians 5:2), the grain offering by a life of daily obedience (John 4:34), the sin and guilt offering by becoming a sacrifice for our iniquities (2 Cor. 5:21; Isaiah 53:5), and the peace offering by reconciling us to God (Ephesians 2:14)—not by the slaughter of animals, but by the free gift of himself (Hebrews 9:11–14). In his ministry, the fire of the new covenant was kindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3–4).
That fire burns constantly for those who offer themselves every morning: “Bring wood, arrange an offering, lay your life on the altar.”
🔥 LIFE APPLICATION OF LEVITICUS 6:8–7:38
Make it a habit to light your inner fire every morning with prayer, repentance, and the word of God.
Look at the areas of your life where the fire of service has died out or gone to ashes.
Remember that it was only Jesus who lit this fire with his blood. What we do is to keep it burning with obedience and humility.
Like a retired old man who climbs the hill every morning to pray despite his old age, so we should keep the fire of the altar of our heart burning.
👥 GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The fire on the altar was commanded not to go out. What does this mean for our daily spiritual lives?
What can “extinguish” a person’s spiritual fire? And how can we keep the fire of true worship burning?
Has Christian ministry today forgotten the emphasis on the “daily offering”? Discuss.
✝️ FINAL PRAYER: MORNING FIRE
O Lord of Presence,
Every morning I come...
By the power of your word,
With repentance like pressed grapes,
With faith like a small spark…
Keep your fire burning.
Make me an altar of your burning love,
May my life be a holy service to your name.
Amen.
➡️ Next Lesson: “The Consecration of the Priest: Anointing for Covenant Ministry – Leviticus 8”
Have you ever felt the weight of God's calling, but found yourself unsure how to respond with a heart of worship and a consecrated body?
📚 SOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDIES
L. Michael Morales , Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?
Tim Mackie , BibleProject: Sacrifice & Atonement Series .
NT Wright , Romans , pp. 591–593 – commentary on Romans 8:3.
Ellen G. White , Patriarchs and Prophets , chapter 30 - "The Law and the Sacrifices."
John Walton , The Lost World of the Torah , on the altar and the role of the priest as a bridge of communion between God and people.
Comments