The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
Old Testament Sacrifice
by Greg Chandler
Within the first five books of the Old Testament, the reader will find sacrifices offered on many occasions, the earliest of which was offered by Cain and Abel. The account records that Abel offered a superior sacrifice to Cain in that he offered the best he had. Other references to sacrifice can be found throughout the book of Genesis.
The book of Exodus records the story of Israel becoming a nation. Bringing Israel out of slavery in Egypt, God made them distinct people with a distinct law. A part of this law dealt with offering sacrifices in various ways and circumstances, with the latter portion of Exodus and the book of Leviticus recording how, when, and for what reason they were to be offered.
One type of sacrifice was the sin offering. From Genesis onward, God made it clear that where there is sin there is always death. Since God is the giver of life, to turn against Him is to reject His gift; consequently, only death remains. However, God did not want humankind to be lost; thus, He implemented a means where sin would be atoned for through sacrifice. In this, one would bring a prescribed animal from his or her flock and, in the presence of a priest, place a hand on the head of the animal, then slit its throat. The one sacrificing then watched as the blood poured out and the animal died (See Leviticus 4). In so doing, God allowed the animal to substitute for the sinner. The sinner was to realize that the death (s)he witnessed should be his/her death, but by God’s grace and mercy, this did not have to occur. Throughout Israel’s history, countless animals died for the sins of the people. Sadly, they often took this grand opportunity for mercy for granted. The prophet Malachi chastised the people for bringing poor, sick, lame, blind, and stolen animals as their substitute (Malachi 1:8). God never intended for sacrifices to become some type of mindless ritual; they were to be offered by one who desired a serious relationship with God and reflected this seriousness in belief and action. This is evident in the words the ancient prophet Samuel spoke to Israel’s first king: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (I Samuel 15:22). Many in Israel’s history failed to take sin seriously and, in so doing, failed to take God seriously.
God never intended for this type of sacrificial system to last forever. Each sacrifice offered for sin pointed to a time when the perfect sacrifice would be offered for the forgiveness of sins. This sacrifice occurred when Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. Because of His perfect sacrifice, animal sacrifices were no longer required. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews explains what He provides: “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify[ for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13-14). Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). In Him, humankind can find complete forgiveness for sin!