LEVITICUS 1-7

Q: the first seven chapters of Leviticus, God tells Moses in detail about each offering and how the animal is to be killed, what parts to burn and what parts to eat. Why was God so specific?

As The Daily Bible notes in another context on page 135, “These detailed instructions indicate how strongly God feels about the purity of his people, the constancy of their worship, the need for sacrifice and offerings, and the value of all that is dedicated to God's service.” This is especially true regarding sacrifices since it was only by shedding a life that one could be cleansed of sin. Therefore, “What the worshiper offered to God had to be the best, the most perfect of its kind.” (Hard Sayings of the Bible, p. 157)

And, I would add, it had to be offered in the exact way God had outlined. This was partly because of the symbolic meaning behind each detail of the ritual, such as placing one's hands on the animal to identify with it, salt representing a preservative, blood representing the life that belonged to God only, fat as the choicest portions, etc. The other reason for the details was as a test of obedience to God. After all, as Samuel later said, “Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (I Samuel 15:22b)