SACRIFICES

In Israel, offering sacrifices was an important part of their religion as the people could approach their God through it. Their sacrifices involved agricultural products, selected animals and birds.

The agricultural products were in the form of cereals and the animals included lambs, bulls and goats among others. The birds included mostly pigeons and doves.

The animals and the birds had to be slaughtered before being presented to God. This meant some sacrifices in Israel involved shedding blood.

The animals and birds presented as sacrifices had to be pure to signify the holiness of God. Therefore, they had to be without any blemish or defects and deformation.

The priests were the ones in charge of presenting the people's sacrifices to God. As a requirement, they had to build altars using twelve stones to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. The sacrifices were offered from the altar built.

TYPES OF SACRIFICES IN ISRAEL

Burnt or Holocaust Offerings (Leviticus 1:3-17 and 6:8-13)

This involved presenting to God the whole sacrifice by burning it completely. Therefore, the worshippers were excluded from sharing the sacrificial meal.

The priest required an offender to bring an animal which was either a goat or a sheep and present it to the Tent of the Lord's presence.

The offender was also required to put his or her hands on the head of the animal for it to be accepted as a sacrifice to take away his or her sins.

The animal was slaughtered and the priest could present the blood to the Lord by throwing it against all the four sides of the altar at the Tent of the Lord's presence.

The priest was required put the pieces of meat on firewood arranged and burn everything completely.

The smell of the burnt sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord and this was important in the atonement of one's sins.

Grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1-16, 6:14-23)

This involved the giving of purely agricultural products in form of grain. It was accompanied by other types of sacrifices.

The grain had to be made into fine flour and mixed with olive oil before adding incense to it.

The priest was required to take a handful of flour, oil and all the incense and burn it on the altar as a token to the Lord. The scent was pleasing to God.

The remaining part of grain offering belonged to the priest. It was regarded as holy to signify the holiness of God.

However, grain offering had to be made without yeast if it was bread baked in an oven. The priest could present this offering by burning it.

Grain offering was a thanksgiving offering. It was intended to appreciate God for blessing the fields of the people with good harvest.

Fellowship or Communion offerings (Leviticus 3:1-17, 7:11-36)

Fellowship offering was shared between the worshippers and God. Part of the sacrificial meal was given to God by burning it and the other eaten by the people

Anyone giving this kind of offering was required to present either a bull or a cow without any defects to show the holiness of God.

However, if a sheep or goat was presented as fellowship offering, it had to be either a male or female without any defects.

The person presenting this offering was required to put his hand on the head of the animal before slaughtering it at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence.

The fat on the internal organs especially around the kidney and the best part of the liver were presented to God by burning it on the altar.

In this type of offering, all the fat belonged to God. Therefore, all the Israelites were forbidden from eating any fat or blood.

The meat of fellowship offering had to be eaten within three days. After the third day, it was considered unclean thus it could make the people unclean.

Fellowship offering was purposely given for re-union among the Israelites and with God.

Sin or Confessional Offerings (4:1-5,6:24-30)

Sin offering was also referred to as offering for unintentional guilt or purification offering.

It intended to cleanse or purify a person who had broken the commands of the Lord without intending so that he or she could be forgiven.

The accepted animals for this offerings included, a young bull, a goat; either male or female and a female sheep.

An offender was required to put his or her hand on the head of the animal and kill it at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence.

The blood of the sacrificial animal was sprinkled in front of the sacred curtains seven times and some put on the comers of the altar.

The circumstances under which a person was required to perform sin offerings included the following:

o If a person was called to give evidence in the court but did not give the information about something that he or she could have seen or heard

o If a person touched anything that was ritually unclean such as a dead animal unintentionally and became guilty thereafter.

o If a person could have unintentionally touched anything of human origin that was considered unclean and came to realize his or her mistake.

o If a person made a careless vow or promise about any issue and became guilty of what he or she had done after realizing it.

Incense offerings

This involved the presenting of a perfumed object, made in powdered form to the Lord. The scent was considered pleasing to God as Moses described in Exodus 30:34-38.

These offerings accompanied the other types of offerings purposely to glorify God's name.

Tithe offerings

Tithe offerings involved the giving of a tenth of one's possession, particularly good harvest. It was a means of sharing with God his provision to the people and giving him thanks.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SACRIFICES IN ISRAEL'S RELIGION

(How Sacrifices Fulfilled their Intentions)

Sacrifices helped the Israelites to purify themselves. At the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses offered sacrifices to purify the people before the making of the covenant.

Sacrifices showed God's holiness and that of His people. This was the reason the Israelites were required to present only animals without any defects. God was angry and killed Uzzah instantly for having touched the covenant box in his state of unholiness and this made King David offer sacrifices to God (2 Samuel 6: 1 ff).

Sacrifices guaranteed-God's protection over the people of Israel. The blood of the sacrificial animals protected the Israelites from the deadly plague that hit Egypt during their liberation (Exodus 12:27).

Sacrifices were used for seeking God's forgiveness of for breaking His commands. Aaron offered sin sacrifices during his ordination (Leviticus 9:8).

Sacrifices helped the people of Israel to thank God for His provisions. Hannah offered a thanksgiving sacrifice to God at Shiloh to show her gratitude for having been a son she named Samuel (1 Samuel 1:24).

The Israelites offered sacrifices in quest of victory in their wars with their enemies including the Philistines. Samuel offered a sacrifice of a young lamb before Israel victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:9). For example, King Saul assumed a priestly duty and offered sacrifices on behalf of Samuel before the war with the Philistines because he wanted victory (1 Samuel 13:7-10).

Sacrifices were offered with the intention of receiving blessings. Aaron and Moses blessed the people of Israel after presenting sacrifices during his consecration (Leviticus 9:22).

Sacrifices demonstrated the love that the people of Israel had for God. They gave best parts of the offerings to God.

Sacrifices accompanied important celebrations in Israel like ordination of priests and celebration of the pass over. Aaron presented sacrifices to God during his ordination and King Solomon offered sacrifice during the temple dedication (Leviticus 9: 1 ff and 1 Kings 8:62).

Sacrifices showed the unique relationship that the Israelites had with God. They had to present sacrifices a means of worshipping God.

Sacrifices helped the Israelites to enter into communion with God and each other. This was the case with the fellowship type of offering

Sacrifices helped the Israelites to dedicate something special to God. Hannah offered sacrifices of a bull, 10 kilogrammes of flour and a bag of wine as she was dedicating her son, Samuel to God.

Sacrifices helped Israel to worship God and glorify His name. During the making of the Tent of the Lord's presence, the people of Israel took everything needed to worship the Lord. This was immediately after leaving Mount Sinai (Exodus 35:20-29).

Sacrifices showed the presence of God among the people of Israel. He responded to prophet Elijah's prayer and sacrifices during the Mount Carmel contest to prove His presence to the Israelites (1 Kings 18:36-39).

Sacrifices catered for the welfare the priests and their families. Some parts of the sacrificial meal such as the right hind leg were preserved as their food.

Besides, sacrifices catered for the welfare of the disadvantaged people such as the foreigners, the orphans and the widows. Moses required the Israelites to give tithe to such people (Deuteronomy 26:12).

ABUSES OF SACRIFICES IN ISRAEL

Through sacrifices, the Israelites acknowledged God's provision for them. Moses commanded

the people of Israel to offer their first harvest before having a share of it in order to show their gratitude for the provision of the promised land (Deuteronomy 26: 3).

Some of the Israelite treated sacrifices with greed and selfishness. The sons of priest Eli were greedy for the worshipper's sacrifices at Shiloh (1 Samuel 2:29).

Some of the sacrifices were presented to God by wrong persons other than the priests. King Saul offered sacrifices on behalf of Samuel before the war with the Philistines (1 Samuel 13:9-10).

Some sacrifices were offered out of extravagance. King Solomon was extravagant during the dedication of the temple as he slaughtered too many animals. This was an act of showing off (1 Samuel 8:63).

Some of the Israelites offered sacrifices for formality especially on the Sabbath day which had become an inconvenience to them. These were empty sacrifices which the Lord rejected through prophet Amos (Amos 5 :21 ft).

The priests of Israel were happy to see the people sin because they were assured of their sacrifices. This was the reason prophet Hosea condemned them (Hosea 6:9-10).

There was also discrimination during offering sacrifices. The priest favoured the rich people for their fatty animals at the expense of the poor.

Some of the animals offered were skeletal. And for this reason the Lord would not accept them. Some of the Israelites presented stolen or grabbed animals as sacrifices to God. The rich could grab the animals of the poor and present them to God as sacrifices during the prophetic ministry of Amos.

Some people in Israel offered their sacrifices out of pride. They were boastful about their extra offering of thanksgiving to God (Amos 4:4-5).

Some of the Israelites offered the sacrifices and continued to be sinful. They remained unrepentant as they presented their sacrifices to God.

The Israelites continued mistreating each other when presenting their sacrifices to God. This was an injustice that annoyed God who disapproved their sacrifices.

Some of the sacrifices were presented on pagan altars. King Solomon allowed his foreign wives to offer sacrifices to their gods on the altars he built (1 Kings 11 :8).

Some of the Israelites offered sacrifices both to God and other gods. King Ahab presented his offerings both to the Lord and the gods of his pagan wife, Jezebel.

Some of the Israelites offered human beings as sacrifices to God. King Manasseh offered his own son as burnt sacrifice to God. However, this was murder which contravened the covenant relationship (2 Kings 21 :6).

Revision Questions

1. Discus the importance of sacrifices in Israel's religion

2. To what extent did sacrifices fulfill their purposes in the Old Testament? .

3. Why were prophets critical of Israel's sacrifices?

4. Under what circumstances were sacrifices rejected in the Old Testament?

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