God Has Design in His Worship - Leviticus 1-3

 Leviticus 1:10-11 (ESV)

“If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

When I read the book of Leviticus I often put myself in the place of the priest and/or the worshipper. I wonder how I might have lasted in this system.  Each aspect of the instructions we read in Leviticus is a foreshadow of the suffering of Christ.   Therefore, the people of Israel had to be very specific to God’s instruction.  When we read the book of Hebrews we see more and more clearly that these steps given to them in Leviticus were pictures of what Christ was do or have done to Him on the cross.   In the above passage we are not told why they had to kill the bull on the north side of the alter.  Our Bible commentaries say little about the reason.  One or two mention that is might have been the only place a large bull would fit as you consider the layout of this area of the Tabernacle.  Some suggest it was on the north side to make sure the sun was either not rising behind the sacrifice or setting behind the worshipper’s offering.   The nations that surrounded Israel would worship the sun.   Egypt, who they were all delivered from, worshiped the sun (hence God causing darkness over that nation in the exodus story).   One commentary suggested that Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem, at Golgotha, which was on the north side (although the exact location of Golgotha is in dispute).    Never-the-less, the worshipper in the days of Levitical worship would need to follow things exactly has laid out because whether known or not known to the worshipper, God was making a pattern.   This is where I personally would struggle.  I am absent details in my life.   But, in Old Testament worship, the details mattered.   God was not just throwing out ideas for worshipping Him.  He was showing the worshipper that to approach Him there is a designed pattern.   Jesus fulfilled that pattern for us, which is hard to comprehend.   He fulfilled each exact aspect of the worship laid out in the book of Leviticus.   If it were not for the awesomeness of His sacrifice for us, this alone, would be worthy to worship.   We can rejoice that God has as design for worship that even includes the direction on a compass.   But we can truly worship that Jesus fulfilled it all to save us from our sins.