The Sacrificial System

A key part of the Mosaic covenant - the renewed relationship God establishes with his people and accompanying commands - is the sacrificial system. Within this system there were various sacrifices that the Israelites were instructed to make, which a theologian called John Drane groups as: “Gift Sacrifices,” used to give thanks to God; “Fellowship Offerings,” used to celebrate the Israelites’ covenantal relationship with God; and “Forgiveness of Sins.” (see Drane, “Introducing the OT,” p. 325-326). 

Regarding “Forgiveness of Sins,” the blood of the animal - representing its life - was hugely important and was daubed onto the altar where the person making the offering was pronounced forgiven! (Drane, 327) The most important sin offering was made on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16). On this day, two goats were selected. One of the goats was sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people. The chief priest then took the other goat (the “scape-goat”), laid his hand on its head and confessed the sins of the nation over it. This goat was then released into the wilderness - representative of the people’s sins being taken away. (Lev. 16:22 “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.” Lev. 16:30 “For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord.”) Interestingly, it was only on this day that the chief priest was allowed to enter the holiest part of the tabernacle - at all other times of year, and to all other people, this area was banned! (Which adds huge significance to the fact that, following Jesus’ death, the curtain that separated off this inner part was torn in two!) 

Sacrifice was common across the ancient world and there was some common ground in that everyone viewed sacrifices as a means of relating the visible world in which people lived to the invisible sphere of God/the gods (Drane, 322). However, as is usually the case where similarities occur, it is the differences between the Israelite sacrificial system and that of other nations which stand out!

For example, in many of the neighbouring religions, sacrifice was seen as a way of either appeasing an angry god or encouraging a god to do one’s wish - thus a means by which these gods could kind-of be controlled! However, the Israelites worshipped a God who wanted to bless them, and through them others, but who also took sin seriously. Thus, the sacrificial system was seen as a gift from God (not to God) as the means by which they could experience his forgiveness and presence amongst them. Further, as a writer called Tim Keller notes, because in the surrounding nations it was the rich who could bring the most gifts to the gods they were the gods’ favourites! However, within the Mosaic covenant we read that if someone cannot afford the prescribed sin offering he could just bring a handful of flour and his forgiveness was just as complete as those who could afford to bring a whole sheep!!! (see Lev. 5:11-13 & Tim Keller, “Generous Justice,” p. 39-40).