Leviticus

As in the Exodus painting, Mount Sinai appears once again in the background. This time, however, the mountain seems a little closer because the Israelites are now camped at its base.
After all the work of constructing the tabernacle and preparing its implements for sacrifice and service, the time has come to put everything to use. My key words for remembering Leviticus are Holy Sacrifice and Holy Service. These themes apply to the whole community, to individuals, and especially to the priests.
As I read through Leviticus, I was impressed by how the sacrifices, the blood, and the priestly service pointed toward Christ and His final sacrifice for us. Because of this, I placed a lamb in the center foreground and created visual lines that lead the eye toward him.
A vanishing point is an artistic device used to create perspective. Parallel railroad tracks, for example, appear to move closer together until they seem to meet in the distance. Fence posts become smaller and closer together as they recede. Artists use the same principle to keep buildings, landscapes, and other objects in proper perspective.
In this painting, many elements follow those perspective lines and direct attention toward the lamb. On the left, a man holds out a bird toward the priest. The angle of the man’s arm and the long cuff of the priest’s sleeve both point toward the lamb. Even the end of the priest’s sash gently turns in his direction.
The ewe and her lamb in the background, the man holding the bird, the priest, and their shadows all follow an angle that leads toward the lamb at the base of the painting. I thought that if I had to bring a perfect lamb for sacrifice from any distance, I would bring its mother along to care for it until the appointed time.
On the right side, the baskets and their shadows also form a line leading toward the lamb. The folds in the garment of the man beside the goat are shaded in the same direction, as is the dark streak of fur across the goat’s chest. I think of this animal as the scapegoat, and even he is looking toward the lamb at the center of everything.
As you look around the painting, you may also notice that I grouped several objects in threes. They simply seemed to arrange themselves that way in my mind as I thought about the different offerings.
The entire sacrificial process was a messy business. I tried to show the meat, the blood on the front of the man’s garments, the removal of the ashes, and the vessel of blood used for sprinkling and pouring, without making the scene feel unbearable. In reality, I am sure there was far more blood and disorder than I have shown.
I do not think sacrifice was ever intended to be pleasant. Sacrifice is costly, serious, and painful. And to me, the sacrifices of Leviticus point us toward the sacrifice Christ made for us.