How To Approach God - Leviticus 1:3

‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord.' - Leviticus 1:3

    Leviticus offers us the instructions for the proper worship of God through the system of sacrifice. We have the reference to offering an unblemished sacrifice. And we have the admonition that our sacrifice must be of our own free will. “Let him offer . . . without blemish . . . of his own free will . . . .”
    Our instructions are essentially dependent upon our willingness to approach God.  Even in Leviticus this, the first of five offerings, was a voluntary offering. If the Israelites were willing, they could approach God. If we are willing, we may approach God. The offering has already been made for us in the unblemished sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! There is no offering we need to bring and none that could ever equal the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And as we approach the door of the tabernacle of God we do so of our own free will. “But there has to be more,” you say. Indeed there is.
    And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:17-19.
    The apostle’s directions are unambiguous: “if” we call on the Father (the implication is that of us using our own free will to approach God), we are to conduct ourselves with fear. The term “fear” as used by Peter in this verse comes to us from the Greek primary “phěbŏmai”, meaning respect, reverence, and awe. The reason why we are to conduct ourselves with respect, reverence, and awe is because we know that we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, who for us was the lamb “without blemish.” How dare we approach God with a pharisaical attitude or with unrepented sin bleeding out through our white-washed tombs.
    The instructions in Leviticus were designed to show the Israelites the importance of detail; details that required thoughtful and heartfelt repentance prior to approaching God. After what Christ, our unblemished sacrifice, has done for us may we always seek our Lord with an attitude of respect, reverence, and awe.