Leviticus 1:14-17

"And if his oblation to Jehovah be a burnt offering of birds, then he shall offer his oblation of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of the altar; and he shall take away its crop with the filth thereof, and shall cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes: and he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah."

These instructions also follow the general pattern laid down with reference to the greater offering of the bullock, or of the sheep or goats, the variations being merely accommodation to the smaller size of the offering. Notice the close correspondence between these instructions and those God gave to Abraham in Genesis 15:10, just another indication, of many, indicating that in the entire Pentateuch, we are dealing not with several books but with one!

Without doubt, the provision here for an oblation of birds was also an accommodation to the poverty of some who would not have been able to bring a sheep or bullock. As Unger noted, "Whether he brought much or little, in God's sight it was acceptable if brought in faith, in dependence on divine grace."[19]

Even in the matter of the smaller offering allowed for the poor, not just any kind of bird would do. Pigeons and doves were allowed; birds of prey or eaters of carrion were disallowed. Note the appropriateness of the dove, for example:

1. it suggests sorrowing and innocence;
2. it is monogamous, mating only once;
3. in all ages, it has been the symbol of peace;
4. it is a messenger, as when the dove brought back the green leaf to Noah;
5. the carrier pigeon is still used as a messenger;
6. naturalists tell us that the dove has no gall, anciently understood as a source of bitterness and contention.[20]
7. In time, the Holy Spirit himself would descend upon the Lord of glory in a dove-like form!

In this connection, it should also be remembered that when Joseph and Mary observed the ceremonies of purification in the Jewish Temple for the purification of Mary, they brought the humble oblation of the poor (Luke 2:24). Were all of these regulations merely rules conceived of and laid down by the priests? No. They are called specifically "The Law of the Lord" in that passage in Luke just cited.

On Leviticus 1:14, it is appropriate to mention the denial expressed by Clements to the effect that the instructions regarding doves and pigeons "could not" have originated with Moses, because "these birds were not available in the wilderness."[21] Such a fanciful objection ignores the almost universal appearance of these birds all over the earth. Noah even had doves on the ark! Like every other unbelieving denial of God's Word, this one also carries within it its own refutation. Significantly, Clements did not tell us where he got that information regarding the scarcity of doves in the wilderness! Maybe it was his own imagination?

"Or of young pigeons ..." (Leviticus 1:14). The literal meaning of this phrase is "sons of pigeons,"[22] which does not necessarily refer to the age of the birds. In fact, Orlinsky stated that in this passage the reference is to "indicate merely the species"[23] rather than the age of the birds.

Some of the Jewish comments on these verses are amazing. Rabbi Rashi, for example, stated that the divine instructions given in Leviticus 1:16, to cast away the bird's crop and not to use it as part of the offering was due to the fact that, "birds feed on what is stolen"![24] It appears to us that the conception of birds "stealing" anything is incorrect. The Bible says, "Your heavenly Father feedeth them" (Matthew 6:26), and it can hardly be allowed that God feeds them with "stolen goods"! The word "filth" appearing in this context is the explanation of why the crop was not offered.