Leviticus 3 — Thoughts

Have You Made the Exchange?

If I were about to kill an animal, I would want to get it over with as fast as possible. But God tells His people to stop, pause, and lay their hand on the animal’s head first.

The Word doesn’t tell us specifically why they did this, but I think the symbolism behind the sacrifice gives us a clue.

These flawless animal sacrifices are stand-ins pointing to the ultimate sinless sacrifice that would come in Jesus. But this pause also points to something specific that happened when Jesus died for us. 

He took our sin from us, and He gave His righteousness to us. Theologians call this “The Great Exchange.” When this happened, the guilt for our sin was credited to Jesus, making the punishment for our sin fall on Him instead. At the same time, the innocence of Jesus’ sinless life is transferred to us, finally making us Holy before God.

It isn’t just that we’re no longer guilty because our has sin left us. We’re actually made righteous now because Jesus’ innocence has passed to us.

The prince put on our convict’s clothes and gave us His own royal clothes to wear instead.

So when the Ancient Hebrews would stop to put their hands on the heads of the animal they’re about to sacrifice, I think they were symbolically putting their faith in the Great Exchange.

They didn’t know what it would look like or when it would happen, but God was making them a promise by telling them to pause and touch the animal — a promise He kept in Jesus.