Sacrifice Offerings of the Lord: Pt 1 of 3
Sacrifice Offerings of the Lord: Pt 1 of 3 – Why, Intro February 15, 2020
We go to Leviticus and start reading about animal sacrifice, this is so foreign to our life experience of modern Westerners and it feels weird and not up to date with our lifestyle. I know from reading about the pagan practices in ancient time to today about animal sacrifice.
Think about the killing of animals today so we can eat meat today. Interesting, large number of Butchers are Jewish from the tribe of Levite.
- When we read in Leviticus about the sacrifices, we think of pagan ideas we read about and apply it to the Bible.
- Modern Christianity think God of the Old Testament wants to kill us, but if we sacrifice an animal instead, He will not kill us.
- But, Just in time, Jesus comes along, is killed and we are saved after we die and not go to the bad place.
Just enough biblical language in there for people to believe about animal sacrifice and Jesus death.
This is Satan working behind the scene and if we really look at the Scriptures we will see that this story is a total misconception and false information about God’s Character and Jesus our Lord. Fake News.
We as Christians on a whole do not really understand the sacrifices and how they are related to the Gospel, about Jesus Life, His Death and His Resurrection and Who now sits on His Throne at the right hand of the Father Throne.
- The Israelites were called out of the world to be the Lord’s people.
- A special and a particular people.
- The Lord gave the Israelites a covenant and the 10 commandments and all that goes with it.
- He knew they would sin and He gave them a way to cover their sin, but not take it away,
- This is by the many sacrifices that were given to the people, until the cross, and then the sins will be removed or blotted out.
- For Ezra, the sacrifices are symbolic.
- When a man offered a guilt-offering, for example, the killing of the animal and the offering of its blood and fat on the altar were a symbolic way of saying that this should have been the fate of the sinner were it not for God’s mercy. {Remember, Altar means animal Sacrifice}
Jesus confirms that sacrifices were still being enforced at that time.
Luke 5:14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Provision for Priests and Levites according to sacrifice. Important,
They did not have a land inheritance in Israel.
Deuteronomy 18:1-4 “The priests, the Levites: all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His portion. (2) Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He said to them. (3) “And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. (4) The Firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
The Sacrifices were required to be done in the Lord’s Home, the Temple, Altar or Tabernacle.
- When did Sacrifices start. Interesting, the Levitical system can actually be traced to Genesis 3.
- This gives us more of an insight into, Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel because the sacrifices were instituted in the garden prophetically pointing to the redeemer.
- Abel observed the sacrifice system, Cain did not,
What about sacrifices on the Altar’s
Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. {first animal sacrifice-what animal, clothes, shoes}
Innocent blood had to be slain, to cover up the first sin, first sacrifice
Genesis 4:3-5 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. (4) Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, (5) but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Cain’s offering of first fruits might have been acceptable as a “meal or grain offering” if it had been founded upon a slain lamb and had followed as a consequence from that sacrifice; therefore his offering was not acceptable to God. They knew about sacrifices. I know there are other reasons, but this is a very important one.
God’s Covenant with Noah, an Altar where blood sacrifices are done
Genesis 8:20-21 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (21) And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Important information, why does the Lord like clean animal sacrifices, because He loves the smell of the sacrifice as a soothing aroma.
Now, what about Abram and his Altar
Genesis 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. {an Altar of Praise; vs. 1-7}
Genesis 12:8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.{Altar of Prayer}
Genesis 13:18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD. {Altar of Peace, vs. 14-18}
The Lord’s Unconditional Covenant with Abraham
Genesis 17:7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you {Abraham} and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
This is an everlasting one way covenant that would last through all time and the Lord pledged His ongoing relationship with the people of Abraham.
Genesis 17:19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. {Israel}
We will continue the study to Part 2, ran out of time due to heavy discussion.