Introduction
The study of the sacrificial system has the purpose of presenting some of the major lessons that we need to learn out of the book of Leviticus as they apply to the sacrifices themselves. To the superficial reader, it may appear that there is not much distinction between the several sacrifices demanded by the Lord. Yet the apparent similarity gives way to the very unique character each sacrifice possesses when further study is made. This will become evident as we proceed through the study.
We will study each sacrifice, its distinctive ritual, and the animals, grains or liquids required. Clear definition of the sacrificial nature of worship and of sacrificial atonement will be given. We must see the definite distinction between sacrifices of worship and those of atonement. There is a definite relationship between sacrifices and the Law of Moses. It is the Law that establishes the difference between the sin offering and the trespass offering.
Basically Leviticus is a study guide to the sacrifices that were offered in Israel. There were two exceptions. There are two great sacrifices that were celebrated by the people of Israel that are not contained in the book of Leviticus. The first one is the Passover. To study about the Passover you must look in Exodus 12. The second non-Levitical sacrifice was the Red Heifer. The sacrificial explanation relative to the Red Heifer is given in Numbers 19. Outside of those two exceptions, all other sacrifices that were offered in Israel are legislated in the book of Leviticus.
Important Lessons About the Sacrifices
Distinctions To Be Made in the Sacrifices of the Law of Moses
There are several important lessons that can be learned about the sacrifices and the characteristics that were built into each one of them. One thing we need to remember is that each sacrifice was distinct in its purpose. It had distinctive ritual that defined the fundamental reason and the thrust of the sacrifice. Therefore, we need to be aware of the fact that these sacrifices were not interchangeable. The sin offering would not take the place of the peace offering or vice-versa. Each sacrifice was distinct. Each had its distinctive ritual carrying its distinctive message.
The sacrificial victims or the materials of the sacrifice were drawn from the animal kingdom and from the vegetable kingdom. Each sacrifice required its distinctive animal. Not only was the sacrifice distinctive, but the animals that were designated for each sacrifice were distinctive. In those animal sacrifices there was always the shedding of blood. Thus the element of atonement is built into those sacrifices.
There is another kind of sacrifice that did not involve the shedding of blood. Each Hebrew was required by the Law to offer the first-fruits of the harvest from the field. Those were grain offerings and sometimes liquid offerings that came out of cultivated by-products. They were presented as first-fruits in praise and gratitude to God.
Worship Sacrifices
Each sacrifice belonged to one of two categories. Worship sacrifices were called “sweet savor” offerings. That is the term that is quite frequently used concerning some of the sacrifices. Basically, the expression of an individual’s devotion to God was the thrust of all sweet savor sacrifices. Sweet savor sacrifices ascended from the altar of burnt offerings as a “fragrant aroma” offering to God. In a column of smoke that ascended into heaven the sacrificial victim was being transferred to God in the form of incense. The sacrifice was being “fumed” to God from the altar in a curl of smoke. The victim was not conceived of as being destroyed or even burned; it was seen as being converted into smoke and thus transferred directly to God for His pleasure.
There are two distinct kinds of sacrifices under the Law of Moses. The first sacrifices belong to the worship order. They were the fragrant odor and the sweet smelling sacrifices. They were seen as a sweet incense. The animals were turned into this smoke (Leviticus 1:9) that ascended to God as an expression of the individual’s devotion exclusively for God’s divine pleasure. They smelled good to God as the very terminology used would indicate. The first of the worship sacrifices was the burnt offering. Through it the Hebrew consecrated himself, his entire life, to God. The second sacrifice was the grain offering, or the cereal offering. In this sacrifice the Hebrew consecrated the first-fruits of his harvest to God as a gift and an expression of gratitude. Burnt offerings were offered by individuals and by the nation. Likewise, grain offerings were sacrifices by individuals and by the nation. Then the third sacrifice of the worship type, the fragrant odor series, was called the peace offering. It was offered by the individual and by his family. It was a family celebration in which they rejoiced together when one of the family members was restored to fellowship with God.
In all of the sweet savor sacrifices it was imperative that the worshiper be in a good standing with God. His covenant relationship with God had to be correct for him to presume to offer to God acceptable worship. Divine worship was an exclusive privilege to those people who knew God and who were faithfully serving Him according to covenant demands. Worship is both natural and honorable, but it is restricted to those who know God and conform their devotions to His holy nature.
Sacrifice of Atonement
The next series of sacrifices is called the atonement sacrifices. These are demanded when there has been a breakdown in one’s consecration or devotion to God. When there is a failure in the proper worship that God deserves, sin has been committed and the fellowship with God has been broken. In such instances, the first sacrifice the sinner must offer is the sin offering. The sin offering is required under the Law of Moses when an individual has abusively violated one of the first five of the ten commandments that God gave to the children of Israel in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Those first five commandments have to do with God’s nature. Therefore, when a man violated the man-to-God commandments the fellowship was broken and the sin offering was required before fellowship could be restored.
The trespass offering involved the man-to-man commandments contained in the second five of the Ten Commandments. Of course, there were the other 613 ordinances and statutes that Israel was expected to observe. Basically those 613 laws simply gave explanatory definitions of the Ten Commandments. However, the violation of any law—the ten or the 613—could result in the disruption of the covenant relation between man and God. In such cases of violation of the man-to-man ordinances, the transgressor must offer the trespass offering.
The sin offering did not take the place of the trespass offering, nor vice-versa. The sin offering had to do with the violation of God’s nature, and the trespass offering had to do with the violation of God’s government. The sin offering restored fellowship between God and man. A trespass offering restored harmonious relationship between man and restored the fellowship within the congregation of the children of Israel. Quite evidently, it also restored the man-to-God fellowship.
The third great atonement sacrifice was offered on what was called in Hebrew Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It was offered by the high priest alone who functioned on that day on behalf of the nation. It indicated not only that it was a national sacrifice but that it had individual implication. The Yom Kippur sacrifices will be explained in the last two lessons of this series.
Sacrifices Were Gifts, Offerings From Man to God
The sacrifices of the Law of Moses were basically gifts to God—man offering to his God a present out of his desire to please Him and to seek His favor. It has been said that man’s first attention to fire was for the purpose of offering gifts to God. Any time a man wanted to present God anything under the Law of Moses, or even back during the Patriarchal dispensation, he would build an altar, place wood on it, lay his sacrifice on top, kindle the fire and thus transfer his sacrificial gift to God in the column of smoke that ascended into heaven. It is probably true that man’s first attention to fire was for the purpose of sacrifice because Abel offered his burnt offering unto God in the very shadow of the Garden of Eden.
The word “sacrifice” is primarily and initially an offering or a gift to God. However, the term “sacrifice” has taken on a secondary meaning in our language. Originally it contained the import of a gift to God, but now it has taken on the meaning of privation, personal renunciation and self-denial. Now it seems to have more the meaning of giving up something rather than an expression of appreciation to God. It was probably David himself who was the first to add this concept of personal cost and personal sacrifice or privation in his offerings unto God. In II Samuel 24:24 David said: “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David added to the concept of a present, a gift to God, the concept of personal privation. The primary concept, however, is what the book of Leviticus is built around, not so much the concept of personal privation.
Animals Required for Sacrifices – Domesticated Only!
The animals that were required for all the sacrifices had to have certain qualities. They had to meet a certain standard. Quality number one was that had to be domesticated animals. They had to be tame. That simply means that there were laws that were laid down by God in the regulation of these covenant sacrifices. You find the concept of the first covenant sacrifices offered in Genesis 15:8-17. Abraham had offered the sacrifices required by God. It was through those sacrifices that God made His covenant with Abraham. The animals that were required that day were “a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon” (Genesis 15:9). These all came from the herd, or the flock, or the fowl—all domesticated animals. “Of the herd” meant that they had to be either oxen or cattle. They could come out of the flock, and that meant that they belonged to the sheep and the goats. Or they could be out of the fowl, and therefore they had to be the pigeon or the turtle-dove.
Qualities Demanded for the Selection of the Animals
The qualities or the qualifications of the animals used in the sacrifices demanded first of all that they be tame, as already mentioned. They had to be domesticated animals. That indicated a kind of close relationship with the owner who offered them in sacrifice. That means they could not be the hapless victim of a chase or of the hunt. They were not the rogue. They were not the savage or the untamed animal. They were not mavericks. They were not wild. They were not the ravenous type of animal. They could not be the wild creature like the lion or the vulture out of the bird family.
The second qualification demanded that they be clean, because these animals were symbolically representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not dragged to the cross of Calvary as the unwilling victim. We talk about victims of the sacrificial offerings in the law of Moses because the animal was the hapless victim of circumstance. He knew nothing about the law of God, about sin, about the need of life making atonement for sin. He was totally uninvolved and dumb concerning all of that. But that was not the nature of Jesus Christ. He was a volunteer. He was not a “victim” of the sacrificial atonement that He made.
Therefore, the animal had to be tame. It had to be clean because it symbolized the spiritual purity of Jesus Christ Himself. To be a clean animal it had to belong to the generic family of the “herbivore.” That means it had to be a vegetable eater, to be by nature a vegetarian. It could not be a “carnivore,” that is, a flesh eater. The lion or the vulture, the ravenous kind of beast, would not be a proper representation of Jesus Christ. The Carnivora live by destroying the lives of other animal creatures. However, Jesus Christ had to be one who gave His life, not taking life.
The animal had to be domesticated, herbivore and “clean.” It had to be without defect. The priests scrupulously inspected their animals to be sure that there were no defects of any kind. Physically without blemish, the animals materially symbolized the spiritual perfection and purity of Jesus Christ Himself. For a clearer description of the physical blemishes that would hinder sacrificial acceptance, read Leviticus 22:20ff. An explanation of what is to be considered to be a blemish is given: a wart, any kind of scar or any kind of defect in the animal would disqualify it from sacrificial acceptance before God.
Males Were Preferred – Symbol of Strength
Generally the male animal was preferred in the sacrifices. He was the most common victim of the sacrifices, for he symbolized strength. But at times God specifies that the female be offered in sacrifice, as she was a symbol of fertility.
Vegetables, Herbs, Cereal Grains and Juices
As far as the vegetables that were offered to God as cereal or grain offerings were concerned, they had to be herbs, cereal grains or juices that came from those grains. They had, therefore, to be cultivated produce, suitable for human food. They were not voluntary growth. It was not growth that was gathered out of the wild or off the mountainside. They had to be the first fruits of the man’s labor.
In the burnt offering, the man actually symbolically consecrated himself to God. He seemed to be saying: “I give to God all that I am.” But in the grain offerings he consecrated all that he had to God. The cultivated grains were never presented to God in their crude form. They at least had to be ground or parched. Generally they were made into cakes or patties and were then presented to God on the altar of burnt offerings. It becomes evident that these sacrifices carried deep spiritual implications for the Hebrews. Their devotions were given ample opportunity for expression and significant ceremonials through which to express them.
The Order of Importance of the Sacrifices
It is generally understood that the sacrifices are listed in the book of Leviticus in the order of importance. We see the sacrifices listed in their proper order in Leviticus. It is surprising to find that the burnt offering took precedence to the sin offering. Many times it is thought that the sin offering was the most important among the sacrifices. The burnt offering stands for total consecration of the worshiper to God, and the sin offering stands for the violation of or the default of the consecration. God is much more pleased with an individual who is so totally and completely consecrated to Him that He seldom needs atonement sacrifices. Where consecration is perfect, as in the life of Jesus, atonement is never needed. Consecration is more important than atonement because if an individual is completely consecrated to God, atonement is eliminated as a need in his life.
The second great sacrifice, the grain offering, appears in order of importance in the book of Leviticus. It was offered as we mentioned by individuals at any time they wanted. The peace offering is the third great sacrifice. These three are all worship sacrifices, and they do not take precedence to the sacrifices that were offered for atonement. No Hebrew out of covenant relation with God because of sin was accepted even if he offered any of the sweet savor, worship sacrifices.
Those who strayed from the law of God had to offer the sin offering or the trespass offering to make atonement for their sins or trespasses. The atonement sacrifice for sin could be offered by an individual at any time that he felt his life or his soul was in jeopardy before God. Likewise, the trespass offering was demanded to restore broken fellowship between God and man. Either could be offered by the Jew when he felt that his fellowship with God had been broken. The Day of Atonement was offered only one time each year for the entire nation.
The Place of Acceptable Sacrifices
The altar at which these sacrifices were presented to God was the altar of burnt offerings that stood out in the courtyard of the tabernacle. That was the only place where God authorized the presenting of both worship and atonement sacrifices. The word “altar” in Hebrew is mizbeah, and it simply means the place of slaughter or the place of the killing of the sacrifice. Any time an individual wanted to present to God any kind of gift there was no other way than to place it on the altar and “fume” or “incense” it to heaven. When an individual wanted to give himself to God, he could either place himself on the altar, or else place a substitute victim on the altar that would represent him.
The blood of the animal used in making atonement would be placed on the altar. The fat which was removed from all of the sacrifices was given to God as a fragrant odor, and was “incensed” to heaven. Even the cereal offerings, the grain offerings, were presented upon the altar and transferred unto heaven in a column of smoke. The drink offerings were not poured upon the altar. They were poured out at the base of the altar to Jehovah God. So all gifts to God, therefore, had to be offered upon this altar.
In Exodus 20:25 God explained to the children of Israel that they must make an altar out of crude stones. No attempts must be made to beautify the altar, because Israel will not be accepted before God because of the size or the beauty of their altar. Israel would be appreciated for the devotions of their heart. God promised that He would come to the altar: “I will come to you and bless you” (Exodus 20:24). In Deuteronomy 12:5, He had laid down the rules that Israel must bring their sacrifices of praise and of atonement to the altar where Jehovah hath placed His name, and Jehovah placed His name at the Tabernacle.
The Special Fire Used to Consume the Sacrifice
The fires that consumed the sacrifices upon those altars were actually one fire. They were defined, however, with two different words. There was the katar as a kind of fire that consumed the worship sacrifices. That was the fire that caused this sacrifice to ascend to God, and it was called katar in Hebrew. It characterized all of the sweet savor sacrifices that were presented to God. Actually it was not thought of as consuming the sacrifices, or burning the sacrifices. It was thought of as transforming it into sacrificial smoke that would ascend into heaven itself. We get our word “cauterize” for the word katar in the Hebrew. It means “to cleanse.” This is a sacrifice where the fires ascend into heaven.
There was another kind of fire that consumed these atonement sacrifices. Some of the sin offerings and some of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement were burned with fires that in Hebrew were called saraph. Saraph is the root word for seraphim. They were the avengers of God, who rained fire and destruction upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore, those fires did not ascend to God in praise and devotion. Those were the fires that descended from God in judgment upon sin. Though fire is fire, there are two different kinds of fire that characterized the sacrifices offered to God.
There is perhaps a third kind of fire that is mentioned in Leviticus 10:1 where Nadab and Abihu offered to God “strange fire.” The Hebrew word for “strange,” zar, means any element, action or person unauthorized by God, whether related to personnel or function in service to God. There was a way in which God intended for them to offer their sacrifices, and all violations of those rules that governed the sacrifices not only nullified the worship, but also nullified the atonement. It brought the offending individual under the wrath of God.
Rituals or Ceremonies of the Sacrifices
The ceremonial of each sacrifice is distinct and must be so understood. Though the rituals involved deep ceremonials, they were not simple ceremonialism or ritualism. It would be easy for the sacrifices of the Law of Moses to fall into pure ritualism. Ritualism exists where there are present the externals of a sacrifice without any spiritual devotions being expressed by them. The rituals are as characteristic of each sacrifice just as the animals were characteristic of each sacrifice. The ceremonials may be similar in some of the sacrifices up to a particular point in the unfolding ceremonial and ritual of each sacrifice that will exalt the central concept that belongs to that sacrifice. The specific aspect of the ritual defined the basic thrust of each sacrifice.
Where is the blood sprinkled in atonement for the sacrifice? What happens to the body of the sacrificial victim that is being offered to God? What is the disposition of the body? Is it totally consumed in the fire, and exclusively toward God? Some sacrifices could be consumed by the officiating priest in the courtyard of the tabernacle as a kind of festive celebration hosted by God. Thus God honored His priests for their sacrificial intervention that made it possible for the restoration of fellowship between God and the straying child of Israel. The priest is to be celebrated for his participation in the processes that bring about restoration. In certain sacrifices the body would be burned with the fires that came down from heaven as an expression of wrath upon the sin that had been committed.
Though The Sacrifices Were Ritualistic and Ceremonial,
They Were the Vehicle of Deep Spiritual Values