31. SACRIFICE AND FATEWhat does sacrificing animals have to do with my fate?
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In our day, there are so many things that occupy our time and thoughts. The fact is, for many of us, we are so busy trying to survive that we don’t have time to think about anything else. But let’s pause for a moment and ponder a few questions. Perhaps these are questions you have never considered. But at the end of this lesson, you may nd that they are of the utmost importance.
Why is our society so fascinated with sacri ce? Why do we kill animals to dedicate new buildings and celebrate holidays? Moreover, why have many of the world’s cultures sacri ced animals at some point? Is there something important about the shedding of blood or is it just a barbaric practice, a stain on an otherwise modern nation? Let’s start with the story of a young boy who asked similar questions.
Mert stood there anticipating the moment he had seen so many times before. As his grandfather lifted the knife and walked toward the sheep, he replayed the moments that had led up to that day.
He remembered hearing his parents talk about how much money the sheep would cost and where they would get it. He remembered going to his grandparent’s village and getting the sheep from a local farm. Some of the sheep were white, some gray, and others were brown. Mert didn’t know why, but his grandfather said it was important that the sheep be healthy and clean. They chose the nicest one and walked home with it. As they tied up the sheep, he thought forward to the day they would cut it. The whole family would be gathered together and there would be lots of food.
Suddenly, Mert’s mind was back in the present and he focused in on his grandfather. As his grandfather reached down to cut the sheep, Mert asked him:
“Why do we cut the sheep every year grandfather?”
His grandfather paused and answered, “We do it to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacri ce his son. God ordered Abraham to do this and he obeyed. But right before he sacrficed his son, God provided a sheep. You have heard the story before, why are you asking me again?” his grandfather responded and bent over the sheep.
“Well, why did God tell Abraham to sacri ce his son? That doesn’t seem right!”
“It is hard to say. We can’t understand all that God does.”
After Mert’s grandfather said this he cut the sheep’s throat. As the sheep lay there twitching and bleeding, Mert asked,
“Was Abraham the first to sacrifice?”
“No. After the flood, Noah made a sacrifice to God for saving his families life.”
“Where did Noah learn about sacrifice?” Mert inquired.
There was a long silence and then Mert’s grandfather and father began to clean the sheep and divide up the meat.
A good question deserves a good answer and Mert’s last question was very good. Actually, to nd the answer we need to go back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned, God expelled them from the garden. But if you look closely at the scriptures, you will notice that before they left God gave them clothes made from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). How do you get the skin of an animal without killing it? The answer is you can’t. That is when man first started sacrificing animals. After God gave specific instructions
about sacrifice to Adam, the rules were passed down through the generations and that is why Abel, Noah, and in turn Abraham,
sacrificed animals. So we see that before Adam and Eve sinned there was no killing and no sacrificing. But after sin entered the world, animal sacrifice started. In other words, there is a direct connection between sin and animal sacrifice.
In previous lessons, we learned about God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. We learned that this covenant would be an everlasting covenant and that God’s intention or desire was to bless the whole world. Perhaps you didn’t notice, but every time the covenant was passed on to another person they made a sacri ce to God. But something terrible happened, the descendants of Jacob became slaves in Egypt and over 400 years had forgotten most of what God had passed down through their ancestors. So after God rescued them from slavery and brought them out of Egypt, He had to teach them how to live, love, and worship. And sacrifice was a very important part of that worship.
In general, sacrifice was used for three things: to seal a covenant, give thanks, and atone for sin. But only the sin sacrifice was mandatory. And in regards to that sacrifice there were three types: the daily, the personal, and the annual. In this lesson, we will only be focusing on the personal and annual. Let’s start with a brief explanation of the personal sin sacrifice as explained in Leviticus chapter 4 verses 27-31:
27 “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 28 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering 30 And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
When a person sinned, it was their responsibility to offer a sacri ce for their sin. They were to bring a healthy, unblemished female goat (or sheep according to verse 32) to the priest and confess their sins on it’s head. In essence, the person’s sins were being transferred to the goat and the goat was paying the price for their sins. This was done at the Altar of Burnt Offering with the priest serving as a mediator between the person and God. The priest then sacri ced the animal and burned it on the altar. Let’s imagine the event.
A man sins, knows he sinned, repents of the sin, and wants to be forgiven. So he follows the rules laid out by God. He picks the best goat from his herd, picks her up, and starts walking to the Tabernacle. As he draws closer, he can sense all the people watching him. But it doesn’t bother him that much because he knows that everyone offers sacri ces. After all, no one is perfect! He walks to the east side of the linen wall and approaches the multicolored entrance. The sound of bleating goats, sheep, and bulls fill his ears and the smell of smoke and burning flesh sear his nostrils. He knows what is about to happen, he knows that his sin has formed a wall between him and God, he feels guilty, and he knows that the wall can only be breached by offering a sacrifice.
He trembles as he hands the goat to the priest and confesses his sins upon it’s head. He then lifts the knife and cuts the goat’s throat. As the blood drains out, the man realizes even more than before the enormity of his sin. After the blood has drained out, the animal is laid on the altar and burned. The man’s sin is forgiven and the penalty for his sin, that is death, has been paid. Let us not forget that personal sacrifices occurred over and over again every day. And everyone was expected to sacrifice something for his or her sins, even the priests.
But if the Tabernacle itself was a holy place, is it possible that all the people’s sins and the offerings themselves could defile it? That is make it not holy? The answer is yes and that is why God had the priests conduct an annual sacrifice.
This sacrifice was a very solemn event for several reasons. First, it was on this day, called the Day of Atonement, that the Tabernacle needed to be cleansed from the people’s sins and uncleanness. Second, it was the only day of the year that the priest could enter into the Most Holy Place where God appeared above the Ark of the Covenant. Third, it was the day that the previous year’s sins were completely blotted out from the Books of Judgment, a symbol of the Final Judgment. Fourth, it reminded the Israelites that the wall and shame of sin was very real. Let’s read about it in Leviticus chapter 16 verses 3-5:
3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
God was very precise in how He wanted the High Priest to conduct sacri ces on the Day of Atonement. First, the High Priest (at that time Moses' brother Aaron) needed to wash himself. He then put on the priestly clothes whose design had been explained by God. When he was finished preparing himself, he collected two male goats, a bull and a ram.
On the Day of Atonement, only a pure High Priest could appear before the Lord. But Aaron was not pure; he was a human being and subject to sin. So before Aaron was allowed to mediate for the people, it was important that he repent of his sins and be forgiven. It was for this reason that he sacrificed the bull. Let's continue with verses 12 and 13:
12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of re from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
After Aaron killed the bull, he filled a censer with burning coals and took it, along with two handfuls of incense, into the Holy Place. When he passed through the curtain dividing the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, he dropped the incense onto the burning coals. As the incense’s sweet smell lled the air, the room became cloudy and the Mercy Seat was obscured by smoke. It was only under these conditions that Aaron was able to enter. In a way, the smoke protected the High Priest from the glory of the Almighty Creator.
In that smoke filled room, in the presence of God, Aaron took some of the bull’s blood and sprinkled it on the Mercy Seat seven times. Likewise, he did the same with the goat’s blood. In the Bible, seven is the number of completeness and identified as God’s number. So when Aaron sprinkled the blood seven times it symbolized the completeness of the forgiveness of sins and the cleansing of the Tabernacle from the people’s uncleanness. And God made it clear that there was no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood.
In fact, that is the major theme of this event. Humanity is separated from God because of sin, as if it were a wall that couldn’t be penetrated. In the Tabernacle that wall was visible, in fact there were several walls. The first wall surrounded the whole complex, the second enclosed the Holy Place and Most Holy Place, and the third wall was the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The people were unclean and unholy; while God is pure, holy, and without sin. And yet God was able to dwell among
these people. How could that be? First, the walls of the Tabernacle separated that which was holy (God) from that which was unholy
(the people). And second, the people had to constantly acknowledge their sinfulness and need for forgiveness through the sacrifice of animals. Perhaps the following story will help us understand how only the shedding of blood can atone for sin.
The Beyoğlu Municipality in Istanbul was tearing down some old buildings to put in a new road. The work crews got started and were making quick progress. After a few days of easy work, they reached a series of walled-in courtyards with old water fountains. The crew chief called over several men and gave them some instructions:
“Alright, I want you three to take out these walls and be quick. Those walls are keeping us from finishing this job. Each of you get a sledgehammer and get started.”
“But sir, how can we tear those down with just sledgehammers? Those walls are one-meter thick, reinforced concrete! Why can’t we just use the backhoe?” they asked pointing at the machine.
“The backhoe is being used for something else. If you can’t do it, I will find someone else!” the crew chief retorted.
The workers knew how hard it would be to break down those walls with just sledgehammers. But they didn’t want to lose their jobs, so they started hammering away. After four exhausting hours, they had made no progress. They were right. No matter how hard they worked, it would be impossible to tear down those walls. They would die before the job was done.
Well according to the scriptures, trying to get your sins forgiven without the shedding of blood is like trying to knock down a reinforced concrete wall with a sledgehammer. It can’t happen! But this raises yet another question, albeit one we won’t be able to answer in this lesson. Why don’t we still sacrifice animals for our sins?
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think it would be difficult to kill your best or most favorite animal?
2. Why can sin only be forgiven by the shedding of blood?
3. How do you think the sin sacri ces are connected to the covenant that God made with Adam, Abraham, and the Israelites?
4. Think of the last sin you committed. If you had to kill an animal every time you committed that sin would you keep doing it?
5. Does this lesson give you a different perspective of sin and sacrifice?
Why is our society so fascinated with sacri ce? Why do we kill animals to dedicate new buildings and celebrate holidays? Moreover, why have many of the world’s cultures sacri ced animals at some point? Is there something important about the shedding of blood or is it just a barbaric practice, a stain on an otherwise modern nation? Let’s start with the story of a young boy who asked similar questions.
Mert stood there anticipating the moment he had seen so many times before. As his grandfather lifted the knife and walked toward the sheep, he replayed the moments that had led up to that day.
He remembered hearing his parents talk about how much money the sheep would cost and where they would get it. He remembered going to his grandparent’s village and getting the sheep from a local farm. Some of the sheep were white, some gray, and others were brown. Mert didn’t know why, but his grandfather said it was important that the sheep be healthy and clean. They chose the nicest one and walked home with it. As they tied up the sheep, he thought forward to the day they would cut it. The whole family would be gathered together and there would be lots of food.
Suddenly, Mert’s mind was back in the present and he focused in on his grandfather. As his grandfather reached down to cut the sheep, Mert asked him:
“Why do we cut the sheep every year grandfather?”
His grandfather paused and answered, “We do it to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacri ce his son. God ordered Abraham to do this and he obeyed. But right before he sacrficed his son, God provided a sheep. You have heard the story before, why are you asking me again?” his grandfather responded and bent over the sheep.
“Well, why did God tell Abraham to sacri ce his son? That doesn’t seem right!”
“It is hard to say. We can’t understand all that God does.”
After Mert’s grandfather said this he cut the sheep’s throat. As the sheep lay there twitching and bleeding, Mert asked,
“Was Abraham the first to sacrifice?”
“No. After the flood, Noah made a sacrifice to God for saving his families life.”
“Where did Noah learn about sacrifice?” Mert inquired.
There was a long silence and then Mert’s grandfather and father began to clean the sheep and divide up the meat.
A good question deserves a good answer and Mert’s last question was very good. Actually, to nd the answer we need to go back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned, God expelled them from the garden. But if you look closely at the scriptures, you will notice that before they left God gave them clothes made from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). How do you get the skin of an animal without killing it? The answer is you can’t. That is when man first started sacrificing animals. After God gave specific instructions
about sacrifice to Adam, the rules were passed down through the generations and that is why Abel, Noah, and in turn Abraham,
sacrificed animals. So we see that before Adam and Eve sinned there was no killing and no sacrificing. But after sin entered the world, animal sacrifice started. In other words, there is a direct connection between sin and animal sacrifice.
In previous lessons, we learned about God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. We learned that this covenant would be an everlasting covenant and that God’s intention or desire was to bless the whole world. Perhaps you didn’t notice, but every time the covenant was passed on to another person they made a sacri ce to God. But something terrible happened, the descendants of Jacob became slaves in Egypt and over 400 years had forgotten most of what God had passed down through their ancestors. So after God rescued them from slavery and brought them out of Egypt, He had to teach them how to live, love, and worship. And sacrifice was a very important part of that worship.
In general, sacrifice was used for three things: to seal a covenant, give thanks, and atone for sin. But only the sin sacrifice was mandatory. And in regards to that sacrifice there were three types: the daily, the personal, and the annual. In this lesson, we will only be focusing on the personal and annual. Let’s start with a brief explanation of the personal sin sacrifice as explained in Leviticus chapter 4 verses 27-31:
27 “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 28 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering 30 And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
When a person sinned, it was their responsibility to offer a sacri ce for their sin. They were to bring a healthy, unblemished female goat (or sheep according to verse 32) to the priest and confess their sins on it’s head. In essence, the person’s sins were being transferred to the goat and the goat was paying the price for their sins. This was done at the Altar of Burnt Offering with the priest serving as a mediator between the person and God. The priest then sacri ced the animal and burned it on the altar. Let’s imagine the event.
A man sins, knows he sinned, repents of the sin, and wants to be forgiven. So he follows the rules laid out by God. He picks the best goat from his herd, picks her up, and starts walking to the Tabernacle. As he draws closer, he can sense all the people watching him. But it doesn’t bother him that much because he knows that everyone offers sacri ces. After all, no one is perfect! He walks to the east side of the linen wall and approaches the multicolored entrance. The sound of bleating goats, sheep, and bulls fill his ears and the smell of smoke and burning flesh sear his nostrils. He knows what is about to happen, he knows that his sin has formed a wall between him and God, he feels guilty, and he knows that the wall can only be breached by offering a sacrifice.
He trembles as he hands the goat to the priest and confesses his sins upon it’s head. He then lifts the knife and cuts the goat’s throat. As the blood drains out, the man realizes even more than before the enormity of his sin. After the blood has drained out, the animal is laid on the altar and burned. The man’s sin is forgiven and the penalty for his sin, that is death, has been paid. Let us not forget that personal sacrifices occurred over and over again every day. And everyone was expected to sacrifice something for his or her sins, even the priests.
But if the Tabernacle itself was a holy place, is it possible that all the people’s sins and the offerings themselves could defile it? That is make it not holy? The answer is yes and that is why God had the priests conduct an annual sacrifice.
This sacrifice was a very solemn event for several reasons. First, it was on this day, called the Day of Atonement, that the Tabernacle needed to be cleansed from the people’s sins and uncleanness. Second, it was the only day of the year that the priest could enter into the Most Holy Place where God appeared above the Ark of the Covenant. Third, it was the day that the previous year’s sins were completely blotted out from the Books of Judgment, a symbol of the Final Judgment. Fourth, it reminded the Israelites that the wall and shame of sin was very real. Let’s read about it in Leviticus chapter 16 verses 3-5:
3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
God was very precise in how He wanted the High Priest to conduct sacri ces on the Day of Atonement. First, the High Priest (at that time Moses' brother Aaron) needed to wash himself. He then put on the priestly clothes whose design had been explained by God. When he was finished preparing himself, he collected two male goats, a bull and a ram.
On the Day of Atonement, only a pure High Priest could appear before the Lord. But Aaron was not pure; he was a human being and subject to sin. So before Aaron was allowed to mediate for the people, it was important that he repent of his sins and be forgiven. It was for this reason that he sacrificed the bull. Let's continue with verses 12 and 13:
12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of re from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
After Aaron killed the bull, he filled a censer with burning coals and took it, along with two handfuls of incense, into the Holy Place. When he passed through the curtain dividing the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, he dropped the incense onto the burning coals. As the incense’s sweet smell lled the air, the room became cloudy and the Mercy Seat was obscured by smoke. It was only under these conditions that Aaron was able to enter. In a way, the smoke protected the High Priest from the glory of the Almighty Creator.
In that smoke filled room, in the presence of God, Aaron took some of the bull’s blood and sprinkled it on the Mercy Seat seven times. Likewise, he did the same with the goat’s blood. In the Bible, seven is the number of completeness and identified as God’s number. So when Aaron sprinkled the blood seven times it symbolized the completeness of the forgiveness of sins and the cleansing of the Tabernacle from the people’s uncleanness. And God made it clear that there was no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood.
In fact, that is the major theme of this event. Humanity is separated from God because of sin, as if it were a wall that couldn’t be penetrated. In the Tabernacle that wall was visible, in fact there were several walls. The first wall surrounded the whole complex, the second enclosed the Holy Place and Most Holy Place, and the third wall was the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The people were unclean and unholy; while God is pure, holy, and without sin. And yet God was able to dwell among
these people. How could that be? First, the walls of the Tabernacle separated that which was holy (God) from that which was unholy
(the people). And second, the people had to constantly acknowledge their sinfulness and need for forgiveness through the sacrifice of animals. Perhaps the following story will help us understand how only the shedding of blood can atone for sin.
The Beyoğlu Municipality in Istanbul was tearing down some old buildings to put in a new road. The work crews got started and were making quick progress. After a few days of easy work, they reached a series of walled-in courtyards with old water fountains. The crew chief called over several men and gave them some instructions:
“Alright, I want you three to take out these walls and be quick. Those walls are keeping us from finishing this job. Each of you get a sledgehammer and get started.”
“But sir, how can we tear those down with just sledgehammers? Those walls are one-meter thick, reinforced concrete! Why can’t we just use the backhoe?” they asked pointing at the machine.
“The backhoe is being used for something else. If you can’t do it, I will find someone else!” the crew chief retorted.
The workers knew how hard it would be to break down those walls with just sledgehammers. But they didn’t want to lose their jobs, so they started hammering away. After four exhausting hours, they had made no progress. They were right. No matter how hard they worked, it would be impossible to tear down those walls. They would die before the job was done.
Well according to the scriptures, trying to get your sins forgiven without the shedding of blood is like trying to knock down a reinforced concrete wall with a sledgehammer. It can’t happen! But this raises yet another question, albeit one we won’t be able to answer in this lesson. Why don’t we still sacrifice animals for our sins?
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think it would be difficult to kill your best or most favorite animal?
2. Why can sin only be forgiven by the shedding of blood?
3. How do you think the sin sacri ces are connected to the covenant that God made with Adam, Abraham, and the Israelites?
4. Think of the last sin you committed. If you had to kill an animal every time you committed that sin would you keep doing it?
5. Does this lesson give you a different perspective of sin and sacrifice?