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The Sacrifices And Offerings of Israel Although we have examined the feasts of God celebrated by Israel, we have not yet studied the sacrifices which accompany those feasts. Quite often sacrifice and offering are used synonymously, however this is an errant practice. Though inseparable, the two ideas have quite separate applications. The difference between sacrifice and offering may be stated thus: Sacrifice is the voluntary relinquishing of something precious, costly, necessary, or vital, while offering may be seen as the voluntary bestowal of the object of sacrifice upon someone else. Through sacrifice, one surrenders all claims to the object being sacrificed; offering makes the object available to someone else. The Offerings Regular daily sacrifices were to be performed by the priests at the tabernacle while in the wilderness and at Shiloh, and later in the temple. Those were offered both morning and evening, and, according to Numbers 28:3-8, each consisted of:
The Sabbath sacrifice doubled the materials of the regular daily sacrifices (Numbers 28:9). The New Moon sacrifices (monthly) consisted of:
There are 6 “special” offerings listed in Leviticus: Burnt Offerings—Leviticus 1:1-17 Meal or Grain Offerings—Leviticus 2:1-16 Peace Offering—Leviticus 3:1-17 Sin Offerings—Leviticus 4:1-5:13 Guilt or Trespass Offering—Leviticus 5:14-6:7 Consecration Offering—Leviticus 6:19-23 Each of these offerings will be treated separately. The first of the six offerings, it typifies the believers acceptance of Christ. In this offering, the perfect service of Christ to God is expressed. Because God is satisfied with this offering, it is a work of justification. The burnt offering, being a work of justification, makes no mention of sin. The offering was “baked,” a type of the sufferings of Christ, “as tried by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:15 The offering could be a bullock (of the herd), sheep (of the flock), an he-goat (of the herd),a dove or a young pigeon. Jesus was a Jew (of the herd/flock). The offering was burned on the brazen altar and wholly consumed. The shedding of blood is a vital part of this sacrifice. Here God views the believer in Christ as justified, and perfect provision is made for his guilt. Meal Offerings This offering speaks of the earthly life of Christ. Fine flour is a symbol of the perfect, sinless, spotless life of Christ being presented to God. This offering, usually without blood, is a gift offering to secure favor, and is comprised of flour, frankincense, oil, and, most importantly, salt. Flour is to wheat what blood is to the body, and demonstrates to the believer that he should feed on “the bread of life.” Christ was, typically, the shewbread. V. 11 Idolaters offered only leavened bread smeared with honey. V. 13 The heathen never offered salt in their sacrifices. This sacrifice consists of a spotless male or female of the herd (bullock or goat), or of the flock (ram, lamb, ewe). Through his death, Christ becomes our peace and reconciliation, bringing believers into peaceful communion and fellowship with God. In the peace offering we note three subcategories, or three kinds, of this sacrifice. This called for a meal offering to accompany the animal sacrifice. Its purpose was to render an expression of thanks for deliverance or blessings granted. No previous promise or vow was involved in the thank offering. The flesh of the sacrifice was eaten that day, none of the flesh could be saved for subsequent days. Anything not eaten that day was to be burned. Votive (vow) and Freewill Offerings These were to be eaten on the day of the sacrifice, but anything that remained could be eaten on the next day. After the prescribed time had elapsed for consuming the sacrificial food, what was left was to be burned on the altar. The votive offering was presented when a blessing or deliverance had been granted after a vow had been made. The 3freewill offering was joyously and willingly presented to express a general thankfulness toward God. No specific blessing or deliverance had to be mentioned. Sin Offerings The sin offering is the most complex of all the offerings. It deals with 5 classes of people and has both public and private rites. Anointed Priests The term “anointed priests” is significant in that it eliminates “trainee” priests; those who are still learning the duties and rites of the priesthood. The priest was to offer a bullock for a sin offering. The fat and the kidneys were removed from the animal and burned upon the brazen altar as a sweet smelling savor to God. The rest of the animal was carried outside the camp and burned in a clean place. The priest was to offer a bullock for a sin offering. The fat and the kidneys were removed from the animal and burned upon the brazen altar as a sweet smelling savor to God. The rest of the animal was carried outside the camp and burned in a clean place. The ruler must kill the goat. The fat and kidneys of the male kid was burned upon the altar. The officiating priest could eat the flesh of the kid in a holy place. The holy place would be one of the sacred precincts inhabited by the priests. “Trainee” priests would come under this category. The person would lay his hands upon the lamb and kill it himself. The priest would burn the fat and kidneys upon the brazen altar. The officiating priest could eat the flesh of the lamb in a clean place. The same as for the common person, except that the lack of worldly means is taken into account. It is interesting to note that the exception of Hebrews 9:22 is realized in the sin offering for the poor. Trespass (guilt) Offerings The trespass offering differs from the sin offering in the restitution that is required. The offerer has to make good on any loss that he has made in the holy things of the Lord and pay an additional 20‰. The sin offering deals with sins against God that also threaten the community. The guilt offering deals more with sins that require restitution to God or man. Consecration
Offerings This is a special type of peace offering. The purpose of the consecration offering was to make it possible for the priests to serve before the Lord. The entire process included:
Exodus 19:14
Exodus 19:18
Exodus 29:22-28, 34
Exodus 29:23; Leviticus 6:19-23 The consecration/ordination process was carried out over a period of seven days. The sin offering shows how Christ atoned for the sinful nature, “He was made to be sin for us.” The blood ran down and outward from the offering; so also with Christ on the cross. As God hid his face from the sin offering, Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The sinner is cleansed by faith in the blood (sin offering) and not by the earthly life of Christ (meal offering). Christ had to suffer the death of a bondslave. Had he died any other way (Gethsemane), he would not have been a sin offering. Offerings in The Feasts The Passover And Feast of Unleavened Bread Held the 14th day of the 1st month, Passover had two operations, national and family. Each home was to slay its lamb (Exodus 12), strike some of the blood on the sides and top of the door frame, and eat the flesh roasted with fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, with shoes on their feet and staff in their hand. Following this, there were to be seven days when they ate only unleavened bread (Exodus 12:1-20). Because of the two parts, the celebration is often divided into the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and said to form two feasts. This national celebration added certain special sacrifices to those already offered daily at the temple. The first day (a Sabbath) there was to be a holy convocation with the special offering of:
three-tenths of an ephah for each
bullock
The Passover celebration was concluded by a second and public convocation on the 7th day (Numbers 28:16-25). The offering of the firstfruits of the barley harvest (Leviticus 23:10) appears to have taken place in conjunction with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, since the Feast of Pentecost with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22) was to be seven weeks later (Leviticus 23:15) and since Pentecost was seven weeks after Christ’s resurrection in the NT. The barley firstfruits were offered on the sixteenth of Nisan, or two days after the Passover, and had the identical offerings of unleavened bread prescribed for the rest of the week (Numbers 28:26-31). The timing fits with Christ’s death and resurrection in the NT, 50 days before Pentecost. In this offering a sheaf of newly harvested grain was waved before the Lord as a sign of new life and as a typical resurrection of our Lord (Leviticus 23:9-14). The Feast of Pentecost or Weeks So called because it came seven weeks or 50 days after that of the Passover and the Firstfruits. It was to be initiated with a holy convocation and no work done on that day. Besides the regular morning and evening sacrifices, there was to be offered:
7 lambs 1 bullock 2 rams, along with their meat and drink offerings 1 kid for a sin offering
The leaven in the loaves signified the believer with his sin. Christ is the firstfruit and sinless, the believers are the harvest and sinful (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). Held on the 15th day of the 7th month after all the harvest was in, it was the greatest of all. It started with a holy convocation and lasted seven more days, closing the eighth day with another solemn assembly. During the feast the people were to live in tents made from boughs of trees in remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. The special offering, besides the regular daily ones started with:
This feast was a memorial for Israel of her deliverance from Egypt and also a prophecy of the final coming Kingdom Age (Leviticus 23:33-44; Numbers 29:12-38; Zechariah 14:16,19). Came on the 1st day of the 7th month. It was a celebration of thanks in anticipation of the final regathering of Israel (cf. Isaiah 18:3; 27:12-13; Joel 2:15-32). No work was to be done, but a holy convocation held with the blowing of trumpets. The addition to the daily offerings consisted of:
Held on the 10th day of the 7th month. It was marked by a time of extreme soul-searching, and points to the sorrow and repentance of Israel at Christ’s second coming (Leviticus 23:29; Numbers 2:7; Zechariah 12:10 ff.; 13:6; Matthew 25:30; Revelation 1:7). The addition to the regular daily offerings consisted of:
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