Bible Overview: Sin and God's Desire to be the God of His People - Part 8

Sin and God's Desire to be the God of His People - Offerings and Sacrifices

God's covenant with Israel was more than a promise that they would inherit the land. They would be God's chosen people, the people of His Royal Kingdom. He would be their God and they would be His people.

But it was not unconditional. His people were required to obey the laws, and commandments that He gave to them. God instituted a sacrificial system as a means to worship Him as their God, and to make atonements for their sins. The blood from these sacrifices would cover their sins. God later sacrificed His Son Jesus, whose blood would make atonement for the sins of all men.

• The Burnt Offering - The purpose of the Burnt Offering was to make atonement for an individual's sins. The required offering was either a male bull, ram, or bird without defect. The burnt offering was a free will offering, required to be made at the door of the tent of meeting. The individual making the offering would place their hands on the head of the animal to symbolically identify with it. The animal was then slaughtered and its blood was sprinkled against all sides of the altar. The animal was then skinned, cut into pieces, and burned on the fire. The animal died for the sins of the individual offering the sacrifice. It was an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD (Leviticus 1).

Burnt offerings were required to be made in the morning and in the evening of each day, as well as on each Sabbath day, at the beginning of each month, and on holy days. Burnt offerings were often made in conjunction with the other offerings and for cleansing and purification of an individual.

• The Grain Offering - The purpose of the Grain Offering was to express gratitude to God for His provisions. The grain offering was required to be burned on the altar and consisted of grain, fine flour, oil, and incense. If it was baked in an oven, it consisted of fine flour cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil or wafers made without yeast and spread with oil. If it was prepared on a griddle, it consisted of fine flour mixed with oil, and without yeast, and was to be crumbled and oil poured on it. If it is cooked in a pan, it consisted of fine flour and oil. All grain offerings must be seasoned with salt. Honey or yeast was not allowed to be burned in an offering made to the LORD  A portion of it was burned in fire, and the remainder went to the priests. It was an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. It was a most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire (Leviticus 2).

The Grain Offering was required to be made whenever a Burnt Offering was made.

• The Peace Offering - The Peace Offering was offered in gratitude as a reminder that the only way to have fellowship and communion with God was through the blood of a perfect, substitutionary sacrifice. This offering was a meal shared in fellowship with God, the priest, and the individual making the offering. The peace offering was required to be made at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. It consisted of slaughtering an animal from the herd of flock that had no defect. Prior to killing the animal, the individual was required to place his hands on the head of animal to symbolically identify with it. The priests sprinkled the blood of the animal against all sides of the altar. All the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which will be removed with the kidneys, was to be removed. The rest of the animal was to be burned by the priests on the altar as food, on top of the burnt offering. It was an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. All the fat belonged to the LORD, and should not be eaten, or should any blood be eaten (Leviticus 3).

The Peace Offering was made for thanksgiving, after fulfilling a vow, and as a freewill offering.

• The Sin Offering - The Sin Offering was made to make atonement for specific sins, unintentionally sinning against God and His commandments, and for sins of defilement of the body.  The sin offering was required to be made at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and consisted of either a young bull without defect, a male goat without defect, a female goat or lamb without defect, a dove or pigeon, or a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, depending on who the offering was being made for. The individual making the offering was required to place his hands on the head of the animal to symbolically identify with it. The animal was then slaughtered and the priest dipped his finger into the blood and sprinkled some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary in the Tent of Meeting. The priest then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the blood was required to be poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. All the fat of the animal, the kidneys and the covering of the liver, were to be removed and then burned by the priest on the altar of burnt offering. In this way, the priest will make atonement for their sins, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the animal was taken outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burnt in a wood fire on an ash heap (Leviticus 4).

When someone did not speak up when he heard a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about; when he touched anything unclean, or thoughtlessly takes an oath, he was guilty of defiling his body, therefore a sin offering was required. The person was required to publicly confess their sin and offer a female lamb or a kid of a goat as a sin offering.

If they could not bring a lamb or goat, they were required to bring two turtle doves or two young pigeons, one as a burnt offering, and the other as a sin offering.

If they could not bring two turtle doves or two young pigeons, they were required to bring one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He could not put oil or frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. The priest would take a handful of it as a memorial portion, and burn it on the altar according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord. The priest would make atonement for his sin that he had committed in any of these matters, and it would be forgiven him. The rest of the offering was given to the priests as a grain offering (Leviticus 5:1-13).

• The Trespass/Guilt Offering - The Trespass Offering was made to make atonement for unintentionally doing what God's commandments forbid, and make restitution for the harm done against the holy thing. The trespass offering included publicly confessing the sin, offering the blood sacrifice, making restitution, and paying an additional 20% to the priest. 

An individual was required to bring a ram without blemish from the flock and of the proper value, as well as the additional penalty of one fifth of its value to the priest. The priest would make atonement for the individual with the ram and his sin would be forgiven. 

If an individual did something that was forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD, even though he might not realize it, he is guilty of sinning against God. The individual was required to bring a ram without blemish from the flock and of the proper value, as well as the additional penalty of one fifth of its value, to the priest, as a trespass offering. The priest would make atonement for the individual "regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him. It is a trespass offering; he has certainly trespassed against the Lord".

If an individual sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely, then he has sinned and is guilty. He was required to restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he had extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He was required to restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering. 

His trespass offering was required to be a ram without blemish from the flock, and of the proper value, as well as the additional penalty of one fifth of its value. It was too be given to the priest, as a trespass offering. The priest would make atonement for him, and he would be forgiven for his trespass against the Lord.

The trespass offering was required to be brought to the priest and killed in the same place as the burnt offering. Its blood was to be sprinkled on the altar, and all its fat was to be offered. The fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, was required to be removed and burned by the priest on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Every male among the priests could eat it. It was required to be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it

(Leviticus 5:14-7:7).

As you can see, sin is a very serious matter to God. It's so serious that He instituted a sacrificial system so the children of Israel's sins could be forgiven so they could be His people and He could be their God. However, this system would have been very difficult to keep and because it was so complicated, it was not ideal. So in time, God would institute a new covenant with His people, the church, through the sacrificial blood of His only Son Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins for all who believe in Him so He can be their God and they can be His people.