The Old Testament sacrifices have nothing to do with any idea of God using a pagan practice for his ends. This is complete misunderstanding of the place of Biblical sacrifice. Any pagan use of sacrifice is a distortion and wrongly directed use of what is God’s particularly chosen way of helping people to understand the seriousness of sin, and the way that they could live in right relationship with him.
God’s eternal plan is that:
We live because of the death of another – that is: Jesus.
Those of us who live after that historic event live in the good of it and are reminded to remember that truth by the instruction: “This do in remembrance of me”
We are always to keep in mind that we live because of the death of another.
The truth was in no way less for those who lived before that historic event took place, but they were not aware of how it would be taken care of.
To them was given the practice of animal sacrifice as a graphic picture indication that they lived because of the death of another. Although they did not know the fullness of what that meant, they were given what they needed to understand the character of God’s grace in forgiveness, and the desire of God to have them enjoy a right relationship with him, and so not to be bound by the effect of past failures.
If when they sacrificed, they thought, “I don’t understand how this works; there must be more to it than I am seeing,” they would have been right, but in entering by faith into what God had made available for them, they would come into the good of it.
Without knowing it, they were coming into the good of Jesus’ death for them.
To show that sacrifice was God’s idea, here are 12 of the first mentions of sacrifice in the Bible and the particular aspects that each one shows:
1. The first mention of sacrifice is in Genesis 3v21 when God made clothing for Adam and Eve from skins. This means that God would have had to kill animals to do this. The first sacrifice was by God.
It is by the death of another that we are covered.
2. The next sacrifice is that of Abel from his flock of animals. Genesis 4v4
It is by the death of another that we are accepted.
3. Noah’s sacrifice in Genesis 8v20 after the flood, is linked with God withholding future cursing, so
It is by the death of another that we are blessed.
4. In Genesis 15v7-21, Abraham, wanting to know what would happen in his relationship with God, at God’s instruction made a sacrifice.
It is by the death of another that God enters into covenant with us.
5. In Genesis 22 when God tests Abraham to see if he will obey him and trust him, he was right in saying to Isaac, “God will provide himself a sacrifice.” There are many lessons in this story but from Isaac’s experience of the ram being there to be sacrificed, comes the lesson:
It is by the death of another that we live.
6. In Genesis 46v1, when Jacob had been told about Joseph being in Egypt and had been invited to join him, before crossing over into Egypt he offered sacrifices to God.
It is by the death of another that we are able to move forward in faith.
7. In Exodus 12, in the account of God judging Egypt by the death of their firstborn, the Israelites were given instructions for the Passover sacrifice.
It is by the death of another that we are saved from God’s judgement.
8. After the giving of the Ten Commandments, instructions are given for sacrifices.
In Exodus 20v24 it refers to peace offerings.
It is by the death of another that we are able to live at peace with God.
9. In Exodus 24, when all the words of God’s covenant had been read, the covenant was sealed by the sprinkling of the blood from the sacrifice onto the people.
It is by the death of another that our covenant with God is sealed.
10. In Exodus 29v10, sacrifices are offered in the dedication of Aaron and his sons as priests. (Revelation 1v5 says “and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests…”)
It is by the death of another that we are brought into the priesthood.
11. Exodus 29v38-46 gives instructions for daily sacrifices at the place where God would meet with them and speak to them.
It is by the death of another that we meet with God every day.
12. Leviticus 16 deals with the sacrifices of the annual Day of Atonement for dealing with the sins of the people.
It is by the death of another that our sins are forgiven and we are made at one with God.
Sacrifices are no longer required from us because:
It is by the death of Jesus that all these aspects are taken care of.