What's the point?

I don’t know about you, but in today’s reading, I think my eyes began to glaze over.  More offerings.  More details.  And they are starting to blur.... I’m having a hard time keeping them straight.

But maybe we don’t have to.  Maybe that’s not the point (although I’m relatively certain that later in our reading, some of this information is going to bring fresh perspective to events that are coming).  Maybe, for now, it’s more important what we can observe. 

The feasts and offerings are used for several purposes.  Some are for the covering of sins.  Some are for fellowship between men and God. .  Some are to make the individual pure and set apart for God.   Some bring the community of faith together (Lev 17:1-7). 
We also see different roles and actions being carried out by different players – the worshiper who brings the offering, the priest who performs parts of the ceremony, the animal who serves as the offering, and the central focus being God. 
Israel is not the Church, but there are little hints which point to the Church which will come later.  The apostle Paul likened the Church to a body (1 Corinthians 12), with each member being a different part and serving a different role.  The Lamb (Christ as the ultimate sacrifice) is the basis for the Church and His sacrifice is an important focus of our gathering.  In the sacrifices for atonement, notice that the animal was to be totally consumed (destroyed) ... just as sin is to be totally destroyed from our lives.  Those who come together should be “clean” not unlike the command to “examine ourselves” before we participate in the Lord’s supper
(communion - 1 Corinthians 11: 27, 28).  And the worshipers even cared for the needs of the priests (the priests were fed from some of the offerings), God’s full time servant -- much like the church cares for it’s pastor. 

Interesting that, although we are not subject to these laws and regulations, some of the principles are similar – and maybe the point is we get that glimpse into the consistency of God.