Burnt Offering and Peace Offering

After the listing of the ten commandments, God mentions the 'burnt' offering and the 'peace' offering. There are other types of offerings but He specifically calls attention to these two. They both involve the sweet smelling savor to God and they are voluntary offerings:

Exodus 20:22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

It is interesting that God prescribes an 'altar of earth' rather than a tooled man-made structure as the altar of these sacrifices. No gold, no silver, no man-made designs were to be involved. God even goes so far as to call it pollution.

Offerings provide lessons and foreshadowing. A 'burnt' offering implies 'ascending'. It is a symbol of commitment and devotion. A flame burns upward. On Pentecost, there were tongues like as a fire that sat on the heads of the apostles as they sat in the temple 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These men recognized Christ's Lordship and were committed to all the provision of God through His son. It heralded in the receiving of the holy spirit. What came out of their mouths was perfect praise and thanksgiving to God. The 'peace' offering heralds thanksgiving, praise, and vows because of the peace provided by God. God delights in these offerings.

As with the commandments, God offers protection, guidance and instruction through what he lays out. We can clearly see what he values and enjoys.