Important:  What about women making sacrifices or offerings in the Temple. 

Leviticus 12:2-3 “Tell the Israelis that a woman who conceives and bears a son is unclean for seven days. Just like the days of her customary impurity, she is unclean. (3) On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby’s foreskin is to be circumcised. 

The purification process to be undertaken by a woman following childbirth. The process has two stages: first come the days of her flow (Leviticus 12:2), seven days when a boy is born and two weeks for a girl.

Then, the mother must remain in the blood of purity (12:4) for thirty-three days when a boy is born or for sixty-six days when a girl is born.

After purification, she must go to the priest and offer a lamb as a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering (12:6). Scripture mentions an alternative offering for women who cannot afford a lamb: “And if she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. And the priest shall effect atonement for her, and she shall become clean” (12:8). 

All of this is somewhat surprising and interesting, that men made no similar sacrifice upon having children or offering during circumcise.  Men were required to visit the Temple during the Festivals to bring the sacrifices.

Women’s visits to the Temple were marked personal events related to her life cycle.  She must bring the offerings to the priest to satisfy this requirement and instruct the priest how to sacrifice them.  If the priest failed to follow her instructions, the sacrifice was invalid. 

Men are required to have their sons circumcised, but not responsible for the offering or sacrifice in the Temple and to celebrate his birth in the Temple.  It seems the wives are not allow to be in the main room for the circumcise celebration.  The ceremony for the child starts after he has been passed among the relatives, beginning with the mother (in a separate room; she is customarily secluded at this time).

After the actual circumcision, the child is handed to the father, then the blessing, the boy’s name is announced.  Circumcision is not a sacrifice, because nothing is loss.  **Circumcision of John the Baptist: Luke 1:57-66

Leviticus 12:4-8 She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. (5) ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

(6) ‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

(7) Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. (8) ‘And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ “

What about Jesus circumcision

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

This is when Jesus was names. Now Jesus is Presented at the Temple

Luke 2:22-24 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (23) (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “EVERY MALE WHO OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD” ), (24) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

With this Sacrifice, this show Mary and Joseph were somewhat poor.  This                                   offering has shown that it is not dishonorable to be poor.  So the timeline for Mary with Jesus would be 40 days, it would put the  time line somewhere around Oct/Nov.

Proverbs 7:13-14 So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to him: (14) “I have peace offerings with me; Today I have paid my vows.

Women were required to perform a number of offerings, including:

• The offerings following childbirth as described in Leviticus, just covered
• Thank offering and its accompanying meal offering following recovery from illness or danger.
• The Passover sacrifice on Passover. Women could offer the sacrifice and hold a Passover Seder themselves if they wished, even if married.
• Sin offerings or guilt offerings in atonement for transgressions and unintentional errors.
• Offerings relevant to fulfillment of, or transgression of, the Nazirite
• Offerings following cure from certain diseases and unusual bodily discharges.

Women could also voluntarily participate in a number of other offerings and rituals for which they were not obligated, including:

• First Fruits on the holiday of Shavuot.
• Temple tax – The half-shekel tax for Temple needs.
• Voluntary offerings, peace offerings and a variety of other voluntary and donative offerings.
• Laying on hands of sacrificial animals for sacrifices they were not required to perform.
• Women could slaughter their sacrificial animals themselves if they wished.
• Women could make vows {**Numbers 30:4-8}
• Did Hannah give a portion of the offering of Elkanah {*1 Samuel 1:4,5}
• Hannah made a vow to God {**1 Samuel 1:11}
• Hannah made a sacrifice to God {**1 Samuel 1:24-28} 

Next time we will cover the actual sacrifices